Yamaha aims rural market to double its outlets in five years

Yamaha Motor, the world’s second-biggest motorcycle maker, plans to double its sales outlets in India in the next five years to tap demands in villages. The company plans to increase showrooms to 2,000, mostly in small towns and rural hubs. Around 10 percent of people living in villages in India own a motorcycle, compared with the national average of 18 percent. The company is refurbishing some of the existing outlets in small towns and rural hubs, and adding new ones called Yamaha Bike Corners, organising free motorcycle service camps and test rides. The new Yamaha outlets in villages would offer an opportunity to the in-store signage companies to unwrap business across the new region.