Xenitis automobile division eyeing Rs.5 bn turnover

City-based Xenitis Group, the manufacturer of Xpression brand of motorbikes, has said its automobile wing will post a turnover of Rs.5 billion ($125 million) in 2008-09.

Company chairman and managing director Santanu Ghosh told IANS: "Global Automobiles Ltd (GAL) may register a turnover of Rs.5 billion this fiscal."

GAL is the motorbike manufacturing arm of Xenitis Group.

Targeting the new generation, the company has launched reasonably priced motorbikes in the Indian market. Its first motorbike model Xpression hit the Indian market in April 2007 and another model Xpression Plus was launched within three months.

The models are manufactured in the group's Hooghly factory with technical support of Guangzhou Motors Co of China. Thirty thousand bikes are manufactured every month.

Xpression has three variants - 100cc, 125cc and 150cc.

The company has also launched a two-wheeler brand called Rock. It is a 100 cc motorcycle with a four-stroke engine. The bike offers features like electronic self-start and kick-start facility, tachometer, gear indicator and aerodynamic headlight with halogen bulbs. It claims to have a mileage of 115 km per litre.

GAL has also launched a 150 cc gearless scooter UFO, priced at Rs.34,990.

According to Ghosh, the company is exporting its bikes to Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Chile, Nigeria, Iran and Argentina.

He added: "We will launch our bicycle brand in June."

Earlier Ghosh had expressed his plans to launch a people's car.