Rakesh Sharma: Husqvarna 401 Indian launch rescheduled to 2020, high-end KTMs lined-up too
Speaking to analysts during a conference call recently, Rakesh Sharma, Executive Director, Bajaj Auto revealed several details about the company's product strategy. Sharma confirmed that Indian launch of the Husqvarna 401 duo will happen in 2020. He also confirmed that the production of the Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 and Svartpilen 401 will commence by the end of this year.
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Confirming the production and the launch timeline for the Husqvarna 401 motorcycles, Sharma said:
We will start production of Husqvarnas by 2019-end, starting with exports. By first quarter of next year, we will be launching certain models in India.
Both, the Vitpilen 401 and Svartpilen 401 have been spied on several occasions in the past. Unlike the concept motorcycles or the production-spec models in the European markets, the test mules in India were seen with alloy wheels. We expect the final products to carry wire-spoke units for a retro look. The two motorcycles will share the 373.2 cc single-cylinder, DOHC, 4-Valve, liquid-cooled engine with the KTM 390 Duke.
Indian Autos Blog has learnt from its sources that the Husqvarna 401 bikes will hit the production line in India in December this year.
Apart from the Husqvarna launch details, Sharma also revealed that Bajaj Auto will start the production of BS-VI models in November 2019. The launches will accelerate post the BS-VI upgrade as the company does not want to place the updated models against its BS-IV rivals.
Sharma added:
We have a robust pipeline of launches for the next 18 months. Our problem is sequencing. These are Husqvarna, high-end KTMs, Dominars, Pulsar and other variants. One might see a lull between now and April, though there are a couple of introductions, and an accelerated product introduction after April 2020… The launches will accelerate post-BS-VI because we don’t want to handicap an absolutely new product with BS-VI cost while competing with BS-IV players.
Sharma mentioned that “there are a couple of introductions”, which could be a hint at the upcoming KTM 250 Adventure and the KTM 390 Adventure. While Bajaj Auto and KTM have remained silent about the Indian launch details of the entry-level adventure motorcycles from the Austrian brand, reports claim that the two bikes could arrive in December. Meanwhile, the high-end KTMs could be a reference to the 790 Adventure, which is expected to arrive in our market in 2020.
Also Read: KTM 790 Duke - First Ride Review
In other updates, KTM will unveil its 2020 line-up at the upcoming EICMA motorcycle show. We expect to see several new and updated products at the motoring event in Milan, Italy.
[Source: Moneycontrol.com]