Aprilia RS457 sales numbers for the first full month have come in and what we see are proper green shoots for all midsize motorcyclists…
According to the official SIAM sales data that we have received, the much awaited Aprilia RS457 has started on a positive note. The maker has registered sales of 120 units in the month of March 2024 – which is a pretty good number for a motorcycle that costs over Rs 4.00 Lac ex-showroom.
If I have to put that in perspective…
- Kawasaki sold 85 units of its much cheaper Ninja 300 in the same month.
- Yamaha sold 36 units of its atrociously priced R3.
- Kawasaki managed 52 units of its 350-500ccs combined (Ninja 500, Ninja 400, Eliminator)
The RS457 is the Italian manufacturer’s first mid-size made in India motorcycle and it has been priced fairly well – for the kind of kit it offers. These are very initial numbers and factor in the hype that surrounds the full-faired sportster at the moment. It may also include various units that may go to company dealerships as display models. It will be interesting to see what numbers will it settle down at.
If these numbers end up being good in the longer run, it will encourage other international makers to consider local manufacturing of similar sized motorcycles. Which means we may see Ninja 500 being sold at realistic levels here – since Kawasaki should be the first one to latch onto the opportunity, followed by Honda for its mid-sizers.
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Aprilia has also recently introduced a completely new motorcycle line-up for India from its international portfolio – however, all those motorcycles are CBUs and cost hell lot of money. It has also roped in Bollywood actor John Abraham as its brand ambassador. The idea is to offer a complete portfolio of motorcycles spearheaded by the RS457 – and let a known motorcycling face spread the word, faster.
If this is exciting then it must be known that the Italian maker is also preparing another motorcycle on this 457 platform and here are the details…
