Aprilia RS150 Indian launch was pushed but what is its purported sibling GPR 150 doing here?
Reports indicate that Piaggio conducted an internal event in Goa where they invited various stakeholders. The event included display of the existing lineup of products along with some other interesting two-wheelers. One was the STX 150 which we discussed yesterday (here).
Another bike, far more interesting, is this GPR 150 according to a pic shared by Autocar. GPR 150 is manufactured and sold in the Chinese market and looks to have a good RS150 connect. It must be remembered that Piaggio showcased mini-supersports RS150 in India at 2018’s Auto Expo and latest reports peg its launch to next year.
There are a few cosmetic differences between the two motorcycles but chances are that they may be based on a similar platform and may share the engines. RS150 was announced to get power from a liquid cooled fuel injected engine which can belt out 18 hp of peak power at 10,000 rpm and 14 Nm of max torque at 7500 rpm.
What was the exact purpose of bringing the GPR 150 to India is not known at this point but if it was to gauge response then we are sure, it would have been positive. Unlike the STX 150, the GPR 150 (or the RS150) appear to be adhering to the premium sports image Aprilia adorns in India.
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With the RS150 or this GPR, Piaggio can share a slice of the massive sales the Yamaha R15 is amassing at the moment. But for that to happen, they have to be made in India with as much of good-quality local content as possible, to keep costs reasonable.