Aprilia had first showcased the 150cc bikes at the Auto Expo 2018, and people were quite excited to own the RS 150 and Tuono 150 bikes from the premium brand. Currently, Aprilia sells only scooters and people have been waiting for the Aprilia bikes to come to India ever since it was first hinted that the automaker will expand its niche in the Indian market. However, this excitement will have to wait quite a lot more since the plans for the launch of the RS 150 and the Tuono 150 have been pushed further back to 2020.
All the equipment that Aprilia is offering on the Tuono 150 and its faired twin RS 150 goes on to show that the bike will be priced higher than the current most expensive bike in the 150cc segment, the Yamaha R15 V3.0, which is priced at INR 1.27 lakh (ex showroom Delhi). The addition of the ABS will make the Aprilia bikes to be priced even higher, and the company is speculating whether the pricing of the bikes in the Indian markets will be digestible to the customers.
Additionally, Aprilia has also hinted that it is exploring the 150cc-300cc segment to provide bikes with bigger engines so that they can have a price that is more justified. This would put the Aprilia bikes in competition with the KTM 200 Duke, which is priced at INR 1.50 lakh (ex showroom Delhi), and the RC 200, which is priced at INR 1.78 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). The Aprilia bikes could also compete with the Bajaj Dominar 400 if they decide to bring in an even bigger engine.
If the company decides to bring the 150cc bikes in the Indian markets, the plans look no clearer up to 2020, which could mean that the bikes would come pre-compliant to the BS-VI norms as well, which are going to levied quite soon.
