The breakup of DSK MotoWheels and Benelli has resulted in a confusion-fed state for the Italian brand. Hyosung was quick enough to join the Kinetic bandwagon, getting itself a place with other brands like Aprilia, Moto Guzzi, and MV Agusta in the Motoplex dealership. Benelli, on the other hand, joined hands with Mahavir Group of Hyderabad to survive in the Indian market. They were getting a decent number of buyers before the breakup, considering their customer-centric approach with brand presence in Tier 1 & 2 cities. Mahavir Group will handle the manufacturing, assembly, and import of Benelli bikes in India, even showing interest in localization for popular models.
They have retained the required number of dealerships around the country, leaving buyers with an option to consider Benelli bikes in place of Kawasaki Ninja and Yamaha R3 for exclusivity. One can consider TNT 300 as the most affordable Benelli bike for 2018. The motorcycle comes with a 300cc twin-cylinder engine, producing a different power output in comparison to the popular 302R in India. Benelli TNT 25 and TNT 600 GT were permanently discontinued due to lack of sales. Benelli TNT 300 will soon be replaced with TNT 302S.
Mahavir Group has a dealership network of Mercedes Benz, Skoda, Isuzu, Suzuki and Indian Motorcycles in Southern India. The experience of holding such an exclusive number of dealerships may help Benelli in getting more buyers in 2018. Mahavir Group has retained 18 existing dealerships and plans to add 40 dealerships in the next two years. The new assembly plant gets a production capacity of 7000 units in single and 10,000 in revised shifts. This financial year will mark the entry of Leoncino and TRK 502 in India. Benelli Imperiale 400 will be their Royal Enfield rival for India. Benelli will target Kawasaki, Harley Davidson and Triumph in India.
Benelli has not announced any sales target initially but, they have plans to claim 30% of the market share by 2021. Going the Kawasaki way will help them claim the best possible sales figure. The products like 302S and 302R can prove as game changers with a smaller price tag.