Benelli to drive in new sub-350cc bike in India

Vijay C Roy

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 14

Come next year, the competition in the 250-750cc motorcycle segment is likely to be intense as Italian bike maker Benelli plans to launch a new motorcycle in the sub-350cc category. It will compete with the likes of Royal Enfield, KTM, BMW, Kawasaki and Jawa.

Likely to hit roads in January

The product is under finalisation stage and we are likely to hit the market in January. The idea is to make our products more affordable to masses, especially in tier-I, II and III cities — Vikas Jhabakh, Managing Director, Benelli india

Currently, Royal Enfield claims to have 94% market share in mid- size (250-750cc) motorcycle segment. With a focus on the middleweight segment, the company recently launched new Classic 350 to have a larger market share.

Benelli’s new bike will be priced under Rs 2 lakh. Currently, it offers bikes between 400 and 500cc in India with prices starting at Rs 1.89 lakh.

“The product is under finalisation stage and we are likely to hit the market in January next. The basic idea is to make our products more affordable to masses, especially in tier-I, tier-II and tier-III cities,” said Vikas Jhabakh, managing director, Benelli India.

Currently, Benelli India has 45 dealerships across 40 cities and plans to open 10-15 more by the year-end.

According to manufacturers, the market is reviving on the back of strong consumer sentiment and every player is planning to introduce new products to have a bigger pie of the market.

Anuj Dua, Brand Manager-Classic, Royal Enfield, said “Chandigarh and Punjab have been hugely important markets for Royal Enfield and we continue to enjoy immense share in the region. Royal Enfield boasts of 80% market share in the 150cc and above category in Punjab, of which Classic is one of every four motorcycles sold — 25% of category volume.”

Vikas said North India is the second biggest market for sub- premium segment motorcycles (priced between Rs 2.5 lakh and Rs 6.5 lakh) after South. According to the industry, North contributes 25-30% to the total sub-premium bikes’ sale while South contributes 35%.  

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