Italian premium motorcycle brand Benelli has announced its re-entry into the Indian market partnering with Hyderabad-based Adishwar Auto Ride International (AARI), a subsidiary of Mahavir Group. Benelli first entered the Indian market through a joint venture with Pune-based DSK Group in 2014, but had to end its tie-up due to DSK’s financial setbacks.
Now Benelli is officially back in the country. The company plans to launch seven motorcycle models in India this financial year, a report by Overdrive says. What’s even more interesting is that the new line-up will include the Benelli TRK 502 adventure tourer and the Benelli Leoncino 500 scrambler, unseen yet in the Indian market. The other three motorcycles will be the re-introduction of the naked TNT 300, the faired TNT 302R, and the naked TNT 600i, the report adds.
Benelli seems quite positive about the prospect of these machines in India and is offering both the Leoncino and the TRK 502 in two variants. The Leoncino will be offered in standard trim and the more off-road focused Leoncino Trail with spoke wheels and knobby tyres. The TRK will be available as the standard 502 and the more off-road ready 502X.
Benelli also plans to bring its 250cc range to India by late 2019. The Italian brand announced that it will be launching the Leoncino 250 and the TRK 250 for the Indian market, Autocar India reported. The 250cc motorcycle segment has grown substantially in the past couple of years and Benelli seems want to tap that market as well. Both motorcycles will reportedly be powered by a 249cc single-cylinder engine producing 25.8hp and 21.2Nm of peak torque.
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