After recovering from a forgettable first attempt at the motorcycle segment - the Stallio, Mahindra 2 Wheelers came up with the Pantero 110cc commuter.
In spite of being an extensively re-engineered package, the Pantero retained the styling of the Stallio. Aimed at the lower end of the very demanding commuter segment, the Pantero didn't really crack it. Moreover, Mahindra's entire marketing might was concentrated in making the more upmarket Centuro a success, which is sitting on 30,000 bookings.
There are a few media reports today that Mahindra is developing a bare bones version of the Pantero to make it more competitive. The base variant of the Pantero with analogue speedometer, spoke wheels and kick starter is priced at around Rs 44,000. The upcoming low cost variant will skimp on a lot of features to arrive at an aggressive price tag.
Bikeadvice.in has managed to capture what looks like a test mule of the cut price Pantero. The bike sheds its bikini fairing in favor of an old school circular headlamp unit. The analogue instrument cluster comes in place of a digital setup. On the flipside, Mahindra would be able to sell it as one of the most affordable motorcycles in the country.
The cost-down Pantero would employ the same 110cc air cooled 4-stroke engine producing 8.5PS and 8.5 Nm of torque paired to a 4-speed transmission, and would understandably target the price sensitive rural market.
[Source: Bikeadvice.in]
