Bajaj Motorcycles will sell the Husqvarna range of bikes in India through their Pro-Biking showrooms. Currently, these showrooms sell KTM and Kawasaki bikes.
The Pune-based manufacturer will begin manufacturing Husqvarna bikes at their Chakan plant early next year. However, the initial production will be for the export markets only. But the company will launch some of its products for the Indian consumers by second quarter of FY 2016-17. The company is tight-lipped about the bikes they intend to launch but we believe it would either be the 401 Vitpilen or the 401 Svartpilen. Both the bikes shares its underpinnings with the KTM 390 Duke which is manufactured in India.
A couple of days ago, we told you about Kawasaki’s plan of strengthening its sales and service in metro as well as in Tier-1 cities. It now makes sense for Kawasaki to do this because when Husqvarna is launched in India, the Pro-Biking dealership would have had three big motorcycle brands, out of which two is related to Bajaj. Kawasaki might have understood that it will be difficult for the brand to get the required showroom and branding space, which decreased considerably when KTM was launched.
When it comes to brand positioning, we’re expecting Bajaj to position Husqvarna above the KTMs. Husqvarna bikes look different from KTM and Bajaj, so it makes perfect sense to position it as a premium brand in India. We’re very excited to see and ride the Swedish bikes in India.
Stay tuned as we get you more details on the Husqvarna bikes.
