The 3 newly showcased bikes from Benelli will be launched in the next year and will be catering to varied segments, expanding Benelli’s presence.
Italian motorcycle firm Benelli will start India sales on 19th March 2015 when its India partner, DSK Motowheels will commence sales of five bikes in the country. The first five bikes from Benelli for India are the TNT 300, TNT 600i, TNT 600 GT, TNT 899 and TNT 1130. Besides these five bikes, Benelli has also announced three more which will go on sale next year, they are the TNT 25 (BN 251), Keeway Blackster 250 and the 1130 TreK Amazonas. This will give Benelli a wide range of products in the country, helping it attract buyers from different segments.
Before the unveil of the three new bikes (which will be launched later), Benelli had stated in its invitation that it will showcase 8 Italian bikes at the 2015 India Bike Week. However, one of the bikes is the Keeway Blackster which has no relation to Italy, except the fact that both Benelli and Keeway are owned by China’s Qianjiang Group. While excitement for Benelli bikes is quite high, it remains to be seen how Keeway bikes are accepted in the country where Royal Enfield has largely dominated in the entry-level cruiser space.
Benelli won’t have it easy in India because there is a lot of intense competition in all segments where they plan to compete. At the lower-end of the spectrum, Benelli’s TNT 25 and TNT 300 will have to rub shoulders with the mouth-wateringly priced KTM Dukes while in the mid-segment, the TNT 600 twins will have to fend off the 650cc Kawasakis. Benelli will also have to compete with Triumph while some bikes will face tough competition from upcoming offerings from Honda and Yamaha. The Italian bikes will be priced between Rs. 3.5-14 lakhs (ex-showroom).
