Ducati India production plant is likely to come in Greater Noida, local assembly to reduce price of the Italian motorcycles.
Ducati is to two wheels what Ferrari is to four wheels (some might argue MV Agusta is the Ferrari of bikes but that’s an argument for a different day). Since its entry into India, Ducati fans have stormed dealers to buy the Italian bikes but the first innings did not go well with the Shreyans Group taking everyone for a ride. After Ducati decided to enter on its own, they seem to have realised the potential of the Indian market.
That is the reason why the Bologna based 2-wheeler maker is planning to set-up a production plant in India with talks of a 100 acre land being acquired from the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA) surfacing recently. Yes Ducati plans to locally assemble motorcycles in India and could set-up a facility in Greater Noida. Details are still scarce at the moment.
With almost all rivals of Ducati doing local assembly in India, this move by the Volkswagen Group owned company is a very sensible one. Kawasaki, Triumph and Benelli have been assembling performance bikes in India since a few years now while BMW Motorrad will join the same next year. KTM manufacturers 8 bikes in India, employing heavy localisation. Aprilia too is doing local production but not for its motorcycles, only for its maiden Aprilia SR 150 scooter.
Ducati has a wide range of bikes on sale in India but it’s the Scrambler which is its entry-level model that could be locally assembled. Brought down via the CBU route from Thailand, the Scrambler is priced from Rs. 6.77 lakhs (ex-showroom, Delhi) for the base Icon version. Bigger bikes like the Diavel and Panigale are unlikely to be locally assembled. CKD route will be adapted on the same models which are made in Thailand.
Ducati India Production Plant
– Soon you might be able to purchase the Scrambler at a mouth watering price
– Ducati will locally assemble a few bikes in India, likely from mid-2017
– Made in Italy bikes will continue to come via the CBU route
– Ducati’s main rivals already have a CKD plant in India
Source – TimesOfIndia.com
