Benelli is reportedly working on its manufacturing unit and talks are already up between the consultants and the representatives of six Indian states (Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh). The availability of land and remaining factors will decide the final location as Benelli plans to build more bikes than just the Indian market demand. The exports to South Asia and Africa will help them manufacture 200cc bikes here while the European and Australian market will get served with motorcycles measuring quarter-litre and above in terms of displacement. The brand is expected to keep the higher displacement motorcycles like TNT600i as CKD models.
Apart from the manufacturing plant strategy, Benelli will also improve their touchpoints by adding 60 more dealerships by 2020. Mahavir Group is currently managing the local assembly process in its Hyderabad facility with a capacity of 10,000 units. Once the plan comes into the operational stage, Benelli is expected to achieve this number as their monthly target (including exports). The 2020 plan also includes taking the total number of products to 12 for the Indian lineup. The present-day lineup comes with two 300cc, two 500cc and one 600cc product.
Benelli’s recent introduction of TRK series of products got them 150 bookings for both the touring and adventure variant. On the other hand, TNT3 00 and 302R are not so pleasing with their high ex-showroom tags in comparison to rivals like Yamaha R3, Kawasaki Ninja 300 and even BMW G310R. However, the lack of single cylinder products from their lineup is restricting them from posting huge numbers like KTM India and other sporty options. Once the facility becomes operational, bringing the cruiser and lightweight TRK options will become easier than ever for the Italian giant. The current Benelli range starts from INR 3.50 lakh for the ABS-equipped TNT 300.
