All the Motorcycle enthusiasts, gear up to welcome on board the niche Benelli. Sources say, the oldest motorcycle makers from Italy are riding their way into the booming Indian market with a perception to change the definition of affordable performance oriented bikes. Riding with their Pune based Indian Partners DSK Motowheels, arrival and an official announcement has been scheduled for 17th October.
The Benelli story dates back to the early 20th Century and has seen the ups & downs through the First & Second World War. The company was last acquired by China based motor Group Qianjiang (Q.J.) in 2005, with its HQ in Beijing. With a rich history of having made & raced niche bikes for the US & Europe market alike, the Italian motorcycle manufacturer now intends to capture the Indian market competing with the likes of KTM Duke 390, Kawasaki Ninja 300, Suzuki Inazuma and the likes. Benelli will be banking on DSK’s experience that they have acquired vide DSK’s previous venture with the Korean Hyosung.
The former owners, Merloni Group pumped life into most of the current range that includes the Tornado (Tre) sports bikes and the stunning TNT naked. The new BN range of naked motorcycles was unveiled after the current owners Qianjiang took over the reins.
DSK and Benelli intend to assemble all the bikes in India, including the 600cc in-line fours as well as the big triples. This would considerably remove a huge amount on the duty implications, which would lead to the disruption of the current price scenario in the ever-growing Indian Motorcycle Space.
While the difference in appeal, position and nature of the offerings of Hyosung & Benelli would suggest a lack of competition and cannibalization within the DSK ‘families’, it would be interesting to see how DSK fares in the future.
What now remains to see is, if the indigenous manufacturers in India are willing to step up to the task & offer what the new Indian wants. Value for their money.
