A very surprising report at Bikewale.com has caught our attention. According to them, KTM will soon be launching the new 2017 Duke range in India. While it will be the new-gen Duke 390 for our market but it will NOT include the new-gen Duke 200! They say that instead KTM will launch an update of the existing motorcycle.
They go on to say that the new Duke 200 will not get the aggressive design of the new-gen Duke 200 unveiled internationally, instead, it will carry with the same looks of the current-gen motorcycle and will get new colours and decals to present it as a refreshed model.
The reason, they say, is because of cost related issues. While they anticipate a hike of Rs 15,000 to 20,000 on the new-Gen Duke 390, KTM intends to keep the new Duke 200 at the current pricing range and hence this decision.
2017 Duke 390 & Duke 200 Launch
According to the report, both the models will be launched in India this month itself.
Also Read: KTM Quashes Plans to Make Two-Cylinder 250 cc Motorcycle
We are very sceptical of this report at this time because we believe it is always economically viable to keep two siblings as similar as possible for economies of scale. And we will wait for an official word or the launch itself to understand what is cooking at KTM’s headquarters…