According to recent reports, Piaggio is working on new 250cc-300cc Aprilia sports bikes for the Indian market. The Italian brand previously planned on experimenting with the 150cc motorcycle segment though the increasing market share and the trend for the quarter-litre 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.
Commenting on the plans to launch higher-displacement motorcycles, Diego Graffi, MD Piaggio stated – “Definitely, we are looking with a lot of interest at the motorcycle segment in India. It is natural, having a brand like Aprilia, which is well known across the world for winning in racing competitions. We are now looking more at this range (250cc-300cc). We need some time to introduce the products, but it is in our plans.”
With overall sales near 7,73,855 units in the 2019 fiscal year, the 250cc-350cc motorcycle segment has been doing good for the brands where Royal Enfield certainly takes over 99% of the market share with 7,64,012 units sold in the same period. Piaggio has stated its plans on launching new Aprilia products in the same segment, though the production might take some time.
In addition to this, Piaggio is all set to launch the India-specific Aprilia SXR 160 maxi-scooter in the markets by the end of this year. The brand further aims at reaching 1 lakh sales figure in the current year.
The Vespa and the Aprilia range of scooters have recently been updated by the brand with BS6-compliant engines. In addition to that, the brand has also launched the Aprilia SR 160 that replaces the SR 150 in the Indian markets. The bookings for the updated scooter portfolio from the brand has begun at the selected dealerships.
