India Yamaha Motor today launched the Yamaha Fascino scooter. Sporting a “rich and class modern retro” design, the scooter is targeted at the Indian youth, which Yamaha says makes up over 50 percent of the population. Fascino stands for fashion and the company claims it has comfortable seats, a large footboard and the engine are equipped with Yamaha’s Blue Core technology to help achieve a mileage of 66 km/l, under ideal test conditions. This is the highest claimed mileage on a scooter in India. Yamaha Fascino is priced at Rs. 52,500/- (ex-showroom, Delhi) and comes in 5 colours - red, cobalt, white, cyan and black.

Weighing 103 kg, Yamaha India’s lightest scooter is powered by a 113 cc air-cooled 4-stroke, SOHC 2-valve engine that develops 7.1 PS @ 7,500 RPM and 8.1 NM @ 5,000 RPM, paired to a CVT. The ‘Blue Core’ engine is fed by a carburettor, and according to Yamaha’s standard test conditions, it delivers a mileage of 66 km/l. The scooter comes with drum brakes that retard the 90/100-10 53J tires. It measures 1,185 mm long, 675 mm wide, 1,120 mm tall and has a wheelbase of 1,270 mm. The fuel tank capacity is rated at 5.2 liters.

Yamaha continues to launch new scooters with the same engine as its first scooter, the Ray. Meanwhile, the attractive pricing of the Yamaha Fascino is sure to be a threat to Piaggio who manages to sell around 2000 units of the Vespa every month. The Yamaha Fascino scooter will be manufactured in its Chennai plant, the same facility, where the newly launched Saluto bike has been made. As 100-125cc two-wheeler segment is becoming highly popular in the country, new products in this segment is sure to bring fruitful results for the company in the form of better sales and more profit as it aims to sell around 1.2 million units of these motorcycle by 2017.

By Premji