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Tiger Motors Last updated 16 Aug 2003 Back to D'Singapore Scene The Straits Times
Interactive JUN 24, 2000 Singapore tiger is set to roar Singapore's Tiger Motors, which joined the motorcycle-making ranks in Dhaka two years ago with foreign partners, is to produce bikes here By TONY WATTS THE market for motorcycles in South-east Asia is huge and Mr Hassan bin Ali is counting on his Tigers' fangs to carve out a large slice of it. He is the managing director of Singapore's Tiger Motors, which joined the motorcycle-making ranks two years ago. "We don't intend to unseat any Japanese brand," he says, ""but at least produce bikes of similar quality." As 20 million motorcycles are sold in South-east Asia every year, he figured that there was room for more models. So, with engineering input from partners in Japan and Taiwan, he produced the first Tiger motorcycle in February 1998 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. By the end of 1998, that model had made its debut on Singapore roads.
Now Mr Hassan, 37, is bringing bike-manufacturing to Singapore. Production of a new, as yet unnamed, Tiger motorcycle will begin at Tiger Motorcycle's plant in Kallang at the end of this year. Mr Hassan cites higher productivity levels and professionalism here as the main reasons for moving to Kallang, where production of motorcycle engines for export is due to start next month. Heavy investment in automation will help achieve the output goals for Tiger motorcycles. For a relatively small company, those goals are high. The expected output from the Singapore plant is 10,000 complete motorcycles in the first year. That figure is expected to grow by 20 per cent per year. The main markets are expected to be Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. Import restrictions in Thailand necessitate finding a partner to assemble the machines there, but negotiations are moving in that direction, according to Mr Hassan. The challenge is to establish the Tiger name in these markets, and the businessman stresses that the only way to achieve this is to have an image of quality and the time to achieve that image. "We know it takes time to establish a brand," he says. If the brand succeeds, Singapore might well become a major player in the regional motorcycle industry. In time, maybe, the country will become as well-known for its Tigers as for its Merlion.
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 The Straits Times Interactive OCT 4 1999 Tiger, tiger, burning bright Tiger Motors, the first local firm to set up its own motorcycle assembly plant, is starting a second plant here By KARAMJIT KAUR
In just four months since it was formed, the first Singapore company ever to set up its own motorcycle assembly plant has sold more than 150 machines here. There is also a 1-1/2-month waiting time for new buyers, with more than 30 people here on the waiting list. To cope with the demand, the company will move into its second assembly plant in Kallang by the end of the year, said its general manager and owner, Mr Hassan Ali. The company's first plant is in Bangladesh. "We had earlier announced that we would move between June and December next year," he said. "But we're bringing forward our plans because the existing plant cannot cope with demand. "In the first month alone, we received more than 80 orders. We were prepared to sell only about 20 to 30 motorcycles a month in the local market." Other than Singapore, Tiger Motors also sells its motorcycles in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. There are plans to venture further to other countries in the region and to South America. The new plant at Kallang will be able to produce up to 10,000 motorcycles a month -- up from just 300 a month at the Bangladesh plant. Tiger Motors started operating in May with two models launched here. One is the 125 cc TA-125, which sells for $3,980, and the 150 cc Tiger Superstar Classic, which goes for $4,990. Prices do not include the Certificate of Entitlement, which now costs $1,100 for motorcycles. Because of the good response, the company plans to put out a third model soon. The 150 cc Raffles will be a more sporty machine which will appeal to younger buyers, said Mr Hassan. "At the moment, our 150 cc Superstar Classic is the more popular model and appeals to the above-30 age group. We hope to market the new Raffles to those in their 20s." The main draw of Tiger motorcycles is that they are priced 30 to 40 per cent lower than comparable Japanese and Korean models, he said. But quality is not compromised because the engine, chassis and other parts of the motorcycles are imported mainly from Japan and Korea, he added. The new Raffles will retail at between $6,000 and $6,500 each. ROARING BUSINESS THE main draw of Tiger motorcycles, which has over 30 people here on the waiting-list, is that they are priced 30 to 40 per cent lower than comparable Japanese and Korean models, says general manager Hassan Ali. But quality is not compromised because the engine, chassis and other parts of the motorcycles are imported mainly from Japan and Korea.
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Two years later, the range has
expanded to four - the Tiger Club scooter, Tiger TA-125
standard and Tiger Superstar Classic cruiser, as well as
the Velo Sport Scorpion.
HOMEGROWN Tiger
Motors is doing well.