ANOTHER Price Hike! The Apache RTRs This Time

The TVS Apache RTR 160 4V and RTR 200 4V received their BS6 updates well ahead of time, way back in November last year. In the case of the 200, it was accompanied by a substantial price hike of Rs 9,450, while the 160 got off relatively easy with just a Rs 2,444 increment at the time. Obviously that wasn’t enough, because TVS has once again increased the prices of BS6 versions of both bikes, by as much as Rs 2,500.

TVS isn’t alone in this regard - Honda, Yamaha and even KTM have all hiked prices of models even after their BS6 update (click on the names to know about each one). The move to the stricter emission norms has obviously hit manufacturers harder than they’re letting on, so they’re trying to soften the blow to customers by spacing it out over multiple smaller hikes rather than one big one.

The slowdown in the bike market due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation will have also played a contributing role, no doubt. Despite offering facilities like online bookings and even home delivery of motorcycles, most buyers just don’t have the purchasing capacity to afford a new motorcycle in the current scenario, as a result of which sales are nosediving. With lower volumes, the manufacturers will have to create larger margins on each unit if they are to keep churning out the same sort of profit as before.

With May 31 inching closer, we’re all hoping for some good news in the form of relaxation of regulations so that things can slowly begin to go back to normal. Hopefully then, the barrage of price hikes might come to an end or at least slow down.