Piaggio previously had plans of 150cc motorcycles with Aprilia but now they might drop the plan and are instead looking at the 250-300cc segment.
We had earlier reported that Italian sportsbike manufacturer, Aprilia was eyeing the 150cc motorcycle segment. Aprilia has plans to launch the Aprilia RS 150 and the Aprilia Tuono 150 in India and they had even showcased both these motorcycle at the Auto Expo 2018. If Aprilia did bring these motorcycles to India, they very well could have disrupted the segment if they were launched with a reasonable enough price tag.
However, Piaggio may not launch the 150cc motorcycles under the Aprilia brand in India after all. Yes, it was very hotly anticipated but Piaggio seems to have other plans which are no less exciting either. According to a latest report, Piaggio is now focusing on the rapidly growing mid-size motorcycle segment in India instead. Now this segment that is largely dominated by Royal Enfield. Piaggio thus now plans to introduce motorcycles in the 250-300cc range with Aprilia.
Piaggio Managing Director Diego Graffi has been quoted as having said in a report in The Economic Times as,”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,” Graffi is quoted as having said in an interview. “We are now looking more at this range (250-300 cc). We need some time to introduce the products. But it is in our plans.”
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As for the mid-size motorcycle segment itself, it has been rapidly growing for the last couple of years. Most consumers who would have previously bought 150cc commuter motorcycles are now considering bigger mid-size motorcycles for a little for performance. In the financial year 2018-2019, as many as 7,73,855 motorcycles with engine capacity between 250-350 cc were sold in the Indian domestic market. Out of that, Royal Enfield accounted for 99% of the market share with sales volumes of 7,64,012 units during the financial year.
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While Piaggio has shown interest in this segment, it is not yet known as to what kind of products are being planned. Aprilia has mostly naked street, and full-faired sport bikes, and despite the growing interest in the 250-350 cc motorcycle segment, the fact remains that the dominant player is still the modern classic bikes. Recently, Jawa and Benelli showed off the Fortt Two and Imperiale 400, which too are modern classics. Whatever it may be, we hope it arrives sooner than later. It would be interesting to see Aprilia’s take on this segment.
