Benelli MD reveals that COVID has delayed things by a few months, but Imperiale 400 BS6 launch will be soon after the lockdown gets over…
After its split with DSK Group, Benelli has re-entered India with Mahavir Group which is headed by Vikas Jhabakh who is the young Managing Director of the company. Vikas, in a conversation with Xbhp, has revealed certain details about their upcoming plans.
He says that the original plan was to be in the market with Bharat Stage 6 motorcycles by now but the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic scenario has delayed everything. However, he clears that the Imperiale 400 will be the first BS6 motorcycle from the portfolio and it will be launched very soon after the lockdown is over and things get slightly better.
Imperiale 400 is the most affordable and one of the largest selling motorcycle for the Italian cum Chinse brand. Though he did not specifically spoke about the price but Vikas did say that there are two factors which impact the pricing of a motorcycle.
The first one is the switch from BS4 to BS6 which may not entail a lot of changes from the outside but there is a lot that goes into adhering to the strict emission norms. The second, he says, is the currency. He sounded watchful of the Indian currency which has receded by a fairly high percentage in the last 3-4 months. Since most of the motorcycle is imported from outside, this directly impacts the prices.
2020 Benelli TRK 502 Spotted; Expected in India Soon
Upcoming Bigger Benelli Imperiale 530 Revealed; Coming Soon
However, he assured that the company is keeping a close eye on the currency and is hopeful of it coming back to acceptable levels.
SPIED: Is This the New 2020 Benelli 302R?
Once the post-lockdown scenario get clearer, the company will take a conscious call on the exact price increment the Imperiale 400 could entail. This comes at a point when there are rumor of a massive hike on the classic cruiser (more details).
Source – Xbhp