Piaggio India is gearing up to launch two new products in India at Auto Expo 2020. A new report from BikeWale says that one of the these will be a motorcycle and the other will be an automatic scooter.
The Italian manufacturer had showcased an entry-level sports motorcycle (Aprilia RS 150) at Auto Expo 2018. However, a senior company official had confirmed later that the project has been put in the backburner to give priority to the upgradation of the existing product portfolio to meet the upcoming BS-VI emission norms. He had also confirmed that Aprilia will be launching premium motorcycle in India with an engine displacement ranging between 150 cc and 250 cc.
Aprilia recently unveiled the GPR 250 in China which can be a perfect fit for the Indian market. If priced competitively, the quarter-litre motorcycle can become the mainstay for Piaggio in the country. The Aprilia GPR 250 is powered by a 249.2 cc single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine. Coupled to a 6-speed gearbox, the engine can produce 26.5 PS of power and 22 Nm of torque.
Also Read: All Vespa and Aprilia scooters to receive BS-VI compliance by the year-end
While the specs are similar to the Suzuki Gixxer SF 250's, the low kerb weight of 150 kg means that given the right set of hands, the GPR 250 can be a cracker. The engineers at Aprilia could also change the power delivery to make it more aggressive.
The report also adds that Piaggio India will be launching a new family of automatic scooters. Set to be retailed in two engine options, 125 cc and 160 cc, the new scooters will be positioned as a value for money offering. This makes the new range especially interesting because the current range of Vespa scooters is positioned as a premium offering.
Piaggio’s volumes in India stood at 43,445 scooters (Vespa and Aprilia combined) between the months of April 2019 to October 2019. That’s a drop of over 17% from last year (April-October 2018). The new launches should boost the sales considerably.
[Source: BikeWale]
