Piaggio has decided to put a hold on 150cc bikes as the company could not meet cost targets.
Piaggio had committed to launch two 150cc segment bikes in the Indian market. However, recently a senior company official has confirmed that Piaggio doesn’t have any fixed plans of entering mass market premium segment (150cc and above) anytime soon. The reason behind holding on the launch is that the company could not meet the cost targets.
Diego Graffi, Managing Director and CEO of Piaggio vehicles said that the company wants to find the best trade-off between what is the expected price and what is the level of local content they are introducing at the time of launch. He also revealed that they are trying to find the best offerings in the bike segment at the time of entering the market.
The RS 150 and Tuono 150 are the scaled down versions of two popular Aprilia bikes RSV4 and Tuono V4. Both the 150cc bikes are powered by 18 BHP, single cylinder, liquid cooled engine. Both the bikes will be rivalling against many bikes including KTM RC 200, Suzuki Gixxer SF, Yamaha R15, etc.
Launching small capacity bikes inspired by bigger motorcycles is not a new concept for the Indian market. Many other brands like KTM, Honda and BMW have developed and launched smaller siblings of some of their bigger bikes sold internationally.
Piaggio is currently focused on transitioning their entire products to make them BS6 compliant before April 1, 2020. Also, the company is thinking of entering the EV segment for its three-wheeler vehicles. The RS 150 and Tuono 150 were displayed at the 2018 Auto Expo and since then enthusiasts have been waiting for the duo.
Aprilia RS 150 Launch
– Company could not meet the cost targets, reason for holding the launch
– Piaggio doesn’t have any fixed plans to enter premium segment market anytime soon
– The company is still trying to figure out the best offering for the segment
Source – MoneyControl.com