Husqvarna wants to build a premium image for its road-going machines.
Mr Oliver Goering, Managing Director of Husqvarna, confirmed that his company would not make a 125 cc road-going model. Goering was speaking to PistonHeads when he revealed that Husky's philosophy is unlike what its parent company KTM follows.
With an aim to reach 60,000 bikes a year, the company believes that this figure cannot be achieved by just selling off-road machines, which is its speciality. Goering said:
I think we will grow to 35,000 in off-road sales before hitting a plateau and so 25-40,000 road bikes I would say.
Both the KTM Duke 125 and KTM RC125 have been best sellers for the Austrian brand in Europe. These motorcycles, along with the 200 and 390 series, have brought KTM back from bankruptcy. KTM at present sells more than 150,000 units a year. The 125 cc platform acts as a fantastic entry point for buyers who are entering the world of motorcycles.
The Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 and Husqvarna Svartpilen 401 use the mill from the KTM 390s. However, a wait for an entry level Husqvarna Vitpilen 125 will not end on a happy note. The Husqvarna supremo does not want to dilute the brand name by selling a small capacity model but is open to exploring a higher capacity motorcycle in the future with KTM components.
The Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 and Svartpilen 401 are set to hit the streets later this year, with made-in-India engines.
[Source: PistonHeads]
