Bajaj Motorcycles will start producing the Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 and the Svartpilen 401 from their Chakan facility near Pune. The manufacturing will begin in 2018 and the bikes will be exported worldwide.
The Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 and the Svartpilen 401 will be launched in early 2018. The first few models will be made at KTM’s factory in Austria, before the manufacturing is transferred to India. KTM’s Mattighofen facility will also manufacture the Vitpilen 701.
As per the business agreement, Bajaj will manufacture all KTM motorcycles up to 400cc at their Chakan facility. These two new Husqvarnas are based on the KTM 390 Duke. So a lot of cycle parts are shared between these bikes. Bajaj and its vendors manufacture most of the entry-level KTM components in India. So making the 401s here makes sense as the cost of manufacturing will be lower, thanks to economies of scale.
We’re expecting Bajaj to launch the Svartpilen 401 and Vitpilen 401 bikes in India 2018. With Kawasaki now out of its probiking showroom, there’s enough space to accommodate a second brand. But we are expecting the Pune-based manufacturer to position the Husqvarnas above the KTM.
