Benelli to enter the retro-styled motorcycle segment soon in the Indian market.
The Benelli Imperiale 400 has been spotted on test near ARAI Pune. The bike was first showcased at the EICMA 2017 and had gained a lot of attention. Benelli had then confirmed that the bike will come to India.
The images of the bike reveal that it is quite similar to the international-spec version apart from the mandatory saree guard as an additional feature. Apart from the saree guard, the Imperiale 400 sports the same gloss black colour with gold highlights. The split-seat set-up, tail lights, wheels and the body panels are the same as on the international-spec version.
The Benelli currently gets bikes to India via the CKD route. Parts are manufactured at Benelli’s QJ factory in Wenling and assembled at the facility set up by AARI in Telangana. However, the Benelli Imperiale 400 will be the first product from the company that will benefit from high levels of localisation.
When displayed at the EICMA 2017, the bike got a BS4 compliant engine, but we expect the company to launch a BS6 compliant engine in India. The bike is powered by a single-cylinder, air-cooled engine that produces 20.4 BHP at 5500 RPM and 28 Nm of torque at 3500 RPM. It comes with a 300 mm front disc and a 240 mm rear disc and we expect it to get a dual-channel ABS set-up as standard.
Even though the bike will be heavily localised, it will be priced upwards of Rs. 2 lakhs. It will compete against the Royal Enfield Classic 350, Classic 500 and Jawa Forty Two when launched in the Indian market.
Benelli Imperiale 400 India Launch
– The bike is similar to the international-spec variant
– The bike will compete against the Royal Enfield and Jawa bikes
– Even though it will be heavily localised, it won’t match the pricing of the Royal Enfield Classic 350 and Jawa Forty Two
Source – AutocarIndia.com