The current global pandemic has wreaked havoc worldwide and even big automobile manufacturers are facing the heat. Not only India but almost every prominent country in the world had to issue a nationwide lockdown to curb down the spread of the virus. This resulted in a major economic dip and it was inevitable that many companies will have to hand over the pink slip to their employees. Recently, Triumph Motorcycles made it official that they will have to lay off at least 400 employees from their organization.
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This unfortunate news came shortly after the British company reported that they have faced a 40 per cent to 65 per cent decline in sales across important markets such as the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and the US. Needless to say that the ongoing pandemic is to be blamed for the cut off because it has disrupted the economical balance of the countries mentioned above. Out of the 400 jobs, Triumph Motorcycle will cut across its global operations, apparently, 240 will be from the UK.
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Nick Bloor, chief executive officer, Triumph Motorcycles, said, “These are challenging times for everyone as individuals, but also for the company. No business could have anticipated the scale of the coronavirus crisis and its economic consequences. The pandemic has caused significant damage to the global motorcycle market, and sadly, we have to respond and react accordingly as both a responsible employer and as a business that invests in the future. These are not easy decisions to make, especially when individuals’ livelihoods are affected; however, regrettably, the scale of impact of COVID-19 necessitates us to restructure now in order to protect the long term health and success of the Triumph brand and business.”
Triumph has subsidiary operations in North America, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Japan, Sweden, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Brazil, India, Thailand and China. Headquartered in Hinckley, UK, Triumph now has factories in Thailand and assembly operations in Brazil and India. There is no word regarding the subsidiaries which will be hit by the job cuts.
Triumph Motorcycles recently confirmed that the Tiger 900 Rally Pro will be the first model in the Tiger 900 range to be launched in India, which is scheduled to arrive later this month. This is according to the company’s strategy of launching the top of the line variant first followed by the mid-range and entry-level variants – something that we witnessed with the launch of the new Triumph Street Triple RS. Triumph Motorcycle claims it is setting a new benchmark to tackle off-road riding and the Tiger 900 Rally Pro is designed to deliver all one needs, for any road or ride, whatever the destination or distance.
The Triumph 900 range is powered by a new 888cc 12-valve, liquid-cooled, in-line, 3-cylinder engine that makes a peak power of 95.2PS and a peak torque of 87Nm. The new model is 5kg lighter than the previous one, which has been achieved with a new lightweight modular chassis consisting of a steel trellis frame with a bolt-on aluminum rear subframe and bolt-on hangers, new lighter-weight engine and high specification suspension and brakes. Triumph dealerships will soon start accepting official bookings for the Tiger 900 in India, which will be brought to India through the CKD route.