This week we reported that the KTM 125 Duke ABS has outperformed the 200 Duke in its first complete month on the market. While the 125 Duke ABS clocked 2,414 units in December 2018, the 200 Duke managed just 925 units, witnessing a negative year-on-year growth of 39 per cent. Now, another KTM product is reporting trouble, and it is the company’s highest displacement model, the 390 Duke.
Also read: KTM 390 Adventure R - Render, Features, Spec & Price expectation
The total sales for December 2018 stood at 106 units as against 340 units in the corresponding month in 2017 a fall of 69 per cent. In November 2018, the motorcycle witnessed a 44 per cent fall, registering 239 units versus 430 units in the corresponding month in 2017. October, September and August sales too were in the decline at -21 per cent, -28 per cent and -22 per cent respectively. Apart from January and February, the 390 Duke has reported negatives sales throughout 2018.
| Month | Sales in 2018 | Sales in 2017 | Difference |
| January | 1,041 | 182 | 427% |
| February | 713 | 418 | 71% |
| March | 716 | 871 | -18% |
| April | 800 | 1,254 | -36% |
| May | 663 | 1,713 | -61% |
| June | 702 | 1,627 | -57% |
| July | 498 | 927 | -46% |
| August | 617 | 790 | -22% |
| September | 675 | 943 | -28% |
| October | 553 | 703 | -21% |
| November | 239 | 430 | -44% |
| December | 106 | 340 | -36% |
The fall in sales could be associated with an increase in competition from products such as the TVS Apache RR310, followed by a massive price cut on the Made-in-India Kawasaki Ninja 300. BMW Motorrad too introduced the G 310 R and G 310 GS in India and the two motorcycles registered 1,640 unit sales since their launch in July 2018. The arrival of the Royal Enfield 650 Twins in the price bracket that's very close to the 390 Duke could have also affected the sales of the Indo-Austrian product. Moreover, Yamaha introduced the completely overhauled YZF-R15 with V3.0 at very competitive prices in February 2018 and the motorcycle has clocked impressive sales figures for the company.
The two-wheeler industry, in general, suffered from lacklustre sales during the festive season due to the increased insurance cost. Following the Supreme Court's order, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) made the five-year third-party insurance mandatory, which resulted in a substantial increase in on-road prices. The order came in effect from September 2018.
Also read: KTM 125 Duke - First Ride Review
In more updates from KTM, the brand launched the RC200 ABS in India at an ex-showroom price of INR 1.88 lakh - a premium of INR 9,000 over the non-ABS model. The fully faired RC200 ABS retails at a premium of INR 28,000 over the naked roadster, the 200 Duke ABS. With the RC200 ABS launched in the country, the only non-ABS motorcycle in KTM India’s portfolio is the 250 Duke. The quarter-litre model should receive new brakes very soon.
