Husqvarna Motorcycles will be marking its entry to the Indian market early next month. Speaking to Zee Business, Mr Rakesh Sharma, Executive Director of Bajaj Auto, has also confirmed that deliveries of the long-awaited Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 and Husqvarna Svartpilen 401 will commence in January or February 2020.
The statement adds more fuel to the speculation that KTM will be showcasing both the Husqvarna motorcycles at India Bike Week early next month. The annual motorcycling extravaganza will be held in Vagator Beach, Goa between December 6-7, 2019. Both the Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 and Husqvarna Svartpilen 401 will be manufactured at KTM-Bajaj’s manufacturing facility in Chakan (Pune).
Powering both the motorcycles will be the same powertrain which also does duty in the KTM Duke 390, KTM RC 390 and the recently added KTM 390 Adventure. Besides that, the new motorcycles will also get a 40 mm longer bolt-on sub-frame, allowing a more comfortable seat for the pillion. The Vitpilen 401 is focused for road usage while the Svartpilen 401 will get on-off road-biased tyres. The latter also gets a slightly taller bar styled handlebar instead of the clip-ons in the Vitpilen 401.
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Both the motorcycles are expected to be BS-VI compliant from launch. KTM will be making India its manufacturing hub for the two Husqvarna models, just as they have done with the smaller-capacity street models of KTM Duke and KTM RC badging.
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However, the thing to look out for will be how Bajaj and KTM position the Husqvarna. We expect both the bikes to be positioned at a premium over the 390 models, with a price tag of around INR 3 lakh (ex-showroom). Yes, that does make sense, right? But why was the Vitpilen 401 spotted with MRF tyres? Will a more affordable version of the Husqvarna motorcycles be on offer in India? Let’s hope all of these questions will be answered next month.
[Source: ZeeBusiness]
