Benelli India is going to play on the front foot in 2021. The Chinese-owned Italian company has serious expansion plans. Based on a new media report, Benelli will add more dealerships and increase its production capacity in the coming year.
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Benelli India Dealership Expansion
Benelli is aiming to take its current dealership count in India from 34 to 50 by the end of March 2021. Most of the new showrooms will be opened in Tier-2 and Tier 3 locations. Speaking to Moneycontrol on this matter, Vikas Jhabakh, Managing Director, Benelli India, said:
A lot of our dealerships were launched before the lockdown so they bore the brunt of the downturn. But we did not have even one instance of a dealership shutting down. We have been working very closely with them. We have 7-8 dealerships in various stages of completion, which will take our total to 42 in a month’s time.
Benelli India Production Plans
During FY20, Benelli sold around 1,500 units through 6 to 7 dealerships in the country. But despite losing sales for the first three months of this year due to Covid-19, the company managed to sell more than the double of what it sold last year, at 3,464 units till October. Now, Benelli is eyeing to clock north of 7,000 units next financial year riding on the revamped product portfolio.
Benelli is planning to introduce several new models in India in the upcoming year. All those motorcycles will be assembled at the company’s local plant. Sharing his views about Benelli’s production capacity, Jhabakh, said:
We scaled up our capacity from 7,000 units to 30,000 units per annum. We have scope for further expansion. Our plan is to hit 40,000 units by 2021 provided we have a clear 12-15 months of business and our product introductions happen flawlessly. We feel that for the next couple of years we will have buyers from the high-end commuter segment (150cc) upgrading to 250cc and that’s where we have our products.
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[Source: moneycontrol.com]
