DSK launches Benelli in India

DSK MotoWheels announced that it will bring the Italian bike marquee Benelli into India two-wheeler market. DSK will bring in five motorcycles from Benelli’s international portfolio. The five bikes that will make their way to our shores include the TNT 302, TNT 600 GT, TNT600 i, TNT 899, TNT 1130R. Prices for the Benelli motorcycles haven’t been announced yet as it were just an unveiling and pricing for the bikes will be done when they get officially launched in our market. Benelli plans to locally assemble the bikes and for this purpose the CKD plant of DSK MotoWheels. By assembling the bikes in India, Benelli will be able to price their bikes aggressively. The Italian two-wheeler manufacturer also plans to setup 20 dealerships in our country with the help of DSK MotoWheels will help them. The first eight of the Benelli exclusive showrooms will be inaugurated in Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Chandigarh and Kolkata within the next four months while other cities would follow soon. Benelli also added that it plans to introduce small displacement, faired and naked motorcycles in near future which mostly include the entry level 150cc offering, the C150 and the quarter-litre motorcycle C250. 

Frank Zhuang, Board Director of Benelli QJ SRL who was present at the announcement said “After establishing our footprint in nearly 30 countries like Italy, Germany, France, China, UK, USA, Australia and Spain to name a few, we now wish to introduce some of the world’s best designed and performing superbikes to the second largest two wheeler market in the world. The Indian two wheeler market is growing at a volume of 10-12% and is set to achieve a size of 21-23 million units by 2015-16.Indian market is the most important market for Benelli, and this will become one of the biggest markets for us in terms of sales.  Our partner DSK has a profound knowledge and good experience in the Indian Superbike market. We firmly believe Benelli will have great success in India with DSK as its partner, by launching right products at the right time with the right pricing,”

The Benelli TNT 302 is sold in the international market as the BN 302 and it will form the bulk of sales for Benelli in our market. It’s a 300cc, streetbike offering with 37PS of power being generated from its twin-cylinder motor and will be pitched against the KTM 390 Duke and the Kawasaki Z250. The Benelli TNT600 will be offered in two variants – a sports tourer and streetfighter. Both the bikes will be powered by a 600cc, liquid-cooled motor churning out 83PS of peak power and 55Nm of torque. The Benelli TNT899 and TNT1130R are a more focussed premium street bike offering with the later being the flagship offering for the Italian brand in the Indian market. Styling of both the bikes are almost identical with the major difference being the powerplant and better cycle parts. The Benelli TNT899 is powered by an 899cc, liquid-cooled mill producing 123PS of maximum power and 88Nm of peak torque. The Benelli TNT899 will rival the Triumph Street Triple and the Kawasaki Z800. The Benelli TNT1130R features a 1,131cc, triple-cylinder pumping out 158PS and 120Nm of torque. The motor is mated to a six-speed transmission with slipper clutch.