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A look at the products and services set to boom in 2017

Rice balls and two-wheeled taxis feature in Nikkei's annual hit forecast

Japanese <i>onigiri</i> and <i>oden</i> have taken off at FamilyMart convenience stores in Malaysia.

TOKYO The products and services most likely to spread in Asia this year run the gamut from two-wheeled transport to rice balls and virtual reality, according to Nikkei's annual hit forecast.

In New Delhi and other Indian cities, two-wheeled taxis are gaining favor thanks to their ability to snake through traffic jams. Rapido, a ride-hailing startup formed in 2015 exclusively for these vehicles, now has 400 bikes that can be summoned with a smartphone app. Motorcycle taxis are already common in heavily congested Indonesian, Vietnamese and Thai cities, and the service is on the verge of exploding in India.

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