Sidhharth Lal recently spoke that almost 90% motorcycles sold by Royal Enfield in India are 350cc’s. This is mainly due to the monopoly of the company in the mid-size segment where the only other competition is KTM which has an entirely different consumer base. The Royal Enfield features or technology are not so much to even write about but it still out sells any other mid size motorcycle in the country. Well things might change now since the first proper competition for the Royal Enfield 350cc motorcycles is here and it is the Italian cruiser, Benelli Imperiale.
Features of the Royal Enfield rival Benelli Imperiale:
The Benelli Imperiale features a 373 cubic capacity engine that displaces 20PS of power and 28NM of torque. These figures are pretty close to what the 350cc Royal Enfield’s produce. The looks of the new Italian cruiser rely on the retro street like charm and that is not at all a bad thing. Even the new 650cc Royal Enfield Interceptor is built around the same inspiration from the Triumph Street series.
The Benelli Imperiale comes with disc brakes on both the front and rear and are accompanied by an ABS system which is a standard feature in the Royal Enfield challenger. The instrument cluster is a fusion of modern and retro, it features a classic retro dial with an instrument display in between. The Benelli Imperiale will rival the Royal Enfield by targeting the same consumer base who want a lifestyle motorcycle which can also be there daily commuter.
How will Benelli Imperiale eat into Royal Enfield’s sales in India? Price in India.
Benelli is one of Italy’s oldest motorcycle manufacturers and started its operations way back in 1911. Benelli has partnered with Pune’s DSK group to manufacture and sell these bikes in India like Royal Enfield. up until now Benelli does not have presence in the whole part of the country as opposed to Royal Enfield but it is pretty popular among enthusiasts in Pune, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Chennai and Delhi.
If DSK markets the product right, Benelli Imperiale will be able to give a tough fight to the Royal Enfield 350cc motorcycles in India. The expected price of the Italian motorcycle is 2-2.5 lakh Rupees which is roughly the same price bracket as 500cc Royal Enfields.
Source: DriveSpark
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