Sales of LML motorcycle increase by 198.7per cent to 14,477 units

Motorcycle sales for the first 10 months of the current financial year (April 2002 to January 2003) stood at 83,001 units, compared to 38,418 units over the same period in the previous financial year 2001-02.

This phenomenal growth in motorcycles comes entirely from the Freedom, which was launched in Uttar Pradesh in July 2002, and progressively in other parts of India in September-October 2002.

Due to limitations in production capacity, the company is yet to launch the Freedom in many states, which it expects to do during the current quarter after it has been able to enhance its production capacity.

Since its introduction in July 2002, the company has sold 70,348 units of the Freedom, thereby recording an unparalleled growth vis-à-vis any other motorcycle in the deluxe commuter motorcycles segment.

In January 2003 the company also introduced the premium version of the Freedom in select markets, which has also been extremely well received. This impressive growth signals the company's turnaround. Its future strategy is based on increasing the production capacity for motorcycles, apart from introducing a wider complement of motorcycles.