According to a report by Moneycontrol, the much-awaited 300cc Aprilia sportbikes will launch in the Indian markets next year. As we reported earlier, the Italian brand previously planned on experimenting with the 150cc motorcycle segment though the increasing market share and the trend for 250cc-300cc motorcycles have made them change paths.
The brand showcased the Aprilia RS 150 and the Tuono 150 at the 2018 Auto Expo though the motorcycles never made it to the showrooms. The brand now plans on launching higher-displacement sports bikes in India.
Talking to Moneycontrol, Diego Graffi, chairman and managing director, Piaggio Vehicles, said that the ‘affordable premium’ segment of motorcycles, having engines up to 350cc has been growing favourably and would most likely become a hunting ground for the company.
“The response we got for the twin 150cc bikes at the 2018 Auto Expo was very positive. And that gave us the confidence that entering the mid-range motorbike segment with the Aprilia brand in India makes a lot of sense. But the growth in the 150cc segment has not been as steep as we expected. This made us look at other opportunities,” said Graffi.
“We are instead looking at a higher 250-300cc segment. In the next three years, the Indian market will see a motorcycle under the Aprilia brand. We are taking our time because we want to be coherent with our mission and profile, which is to be different and premium and deliver a performance which is not seen in that segment and all this takes time but the product will come,” added Graffi.
“We do not want to chase sales numbers. We would rather deliver on the promise of what Aprilia stands for, which is performance,” added Graffi.
