Jul 2: Polaris India, US-based ATV (all-terrain vehicle) manufacturer, Polaris’s, Indian arm, has started importing ATVs from China, as Completely Knocked-Down (CKD) units to India. So, the price of the ATVs will be brought down to half of their earlier price in India.

The company hopes to double up sales with its new logistical arrangement and the new price. This move was made possible, after the US-based ATV manufacturer acquired a Chinese ATV manufacturer called “Hammer Head” recently. The CKD import will bring the price down by half its earlier price.

Earlier, the price of the Completely Built-up Units (CBU) imported from the USA ranged between Rs. 5.5. lakh and Rs. 30 lakh, while the Completely Knocked-down Units (CKD) imported from China has a starting price of Rs. 2.85 lakh.

Polaris India believes that the import of the unit as CKD, along with lesser duty and low production cost that has brought the price down by half its earlier price, will double its sales in the price sensitive Indian market. The CKD units will be manufactured and rolled out from Polaris India’s CKD unit at Faridabad, Haryana.

The ATV market is still in its infancy in India, where Polaris is the only prominent player with a market share of up to 20%. While Suzuki Corporation from Japan has recently entered this segment, Honda and Yamaha are likely to follow suit. After the entry of these automobile giants, the market may grow six times its current size.

For now, only 1200 units are sold each year in India, which might bulk up to a maximum of 7000 units a year in the next couple of years. While ATVs are used for agricultural purposes as tractors in most developed markets like Australia, US and Europe, in India, ATVs are sold only to the police, paramilitary and through experience zones. The security forces include the police forces of six states and the BSF, where 20 percent of the total number of vehicles has been sold since 2013.

Polaris has grown by 60 percent in the last two years in the Indian market, while the overall industrial growth is valued at 20 percent. The world market for ATVs is valued at 10 lakh units, which has currently slowed down, after growing at a decent pace.

Polaris India has a strong line-up of off-roaders, snowmobiles, motorcycles and commercial and government vehicles in India.