Benelli will be making its official Indian entry in collaboration with DSK Motowheels with details on the joint venture to be officially announced on 17th October.
DSK Motowheels, known for handling Hyosung in India will also be bringing Benelli, one of the oldest motorcycle makers in Italy to the country. The company has confirmed the arrival and an official announcement has been scheduled for 17th October when both the brands will shed more light on the road map for the Italian automaker in India. A brand with a rich legacy and a plethora of products, Benelli will be coming to India with a range of performance oriented yet affordable motorcycles and is aiming to make it big in the growing performance motorcycling space in the country.
Known to be one of the oldest motorcycle factories in operation in Europe, Benelli has had an illustrious history of producing motorcycles and also racing them across several championships. The company that started life in a service garage in 1911 grew on to become one of the sought after Italian motorcycle makers that sold across Europe and even the US. Much like several European motorcycle makers, Benelli too saw the good and bad days with the World War I and II playing an important role in its establishment. The company changed several hands over the years, being last acquired by the China based motor Group Qianjiang (Q.J.) in 2005 and has been running smoothly since then. Benelli’s headquarters are located in Pesari, Italy and has been home to the company even during the reign of its previous owners.
Coming to Benelli’s model range, the Italian automaker’s portfolio spans from 300cc to 1130cc bikes with a range of products on offer. Most of its current range was developed by its previous owner the Merloni Group and includes models such as the Tornado (TRE) including the TRE 1130 K Adventure Tourer and TRE 1130 Amazonas, the TNT series of high end street-fighters inclusive of the TNT 899 and the TNT 1130 R as well as the BN series comprising of the BN 302, BN 600 GT and BN 600 R. With Benelli most likely to assemble its models in the country, the company will easily be able to price its model range attractively.
In the volumes context, the BN 302 will be the motorcycle for the masses and will be competing against the popular KTM Duke 390, Kawasaki Ninja 300, Suzuki Inazuma and the likes in the space. Being a relatively unknown brand in India, DSK has a good chance of establishing Benelli as a premium offering while keeping the prices competitive. With new found knowledge and experience after setting up Hyosung across India, it can be expected off DSK to implement the same quickly for the Italian manufacturer as well. 17th October will unravel Benelli’s plans for India and a tentative launch date is also expected for its bikes.
