Piaggio Group in India had plans to sell their 150cc motorcycles under the Aprilia brand in the Indian market, and the bikes were showcased at the 2018 Auto Expo where they received good feedback from the public. Now according to a media report, Piaggio’s plan to bring the Aprilia RS 150 and the Tuono 150 has been delayed and the mass market motorcycles will not be entering the Indian market anytime soon.
The reason behind the delay is likely that the company has not reached the cost target. While according to people in the know, the reason for the delay could be the general slowdown in the market. It is also being speculated that the brand is concentrating to meet the new stringent BSVI emission standard requirements that will be enforced by 1st April 2020.
The Aprilia RS 150 and the Tuono 150 are essentially scaled down versions of the flagship Aprilia RSV4 1100 and the Tuono 1100 respectively and are likely to be powered by 150cc single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine that produces 18 Hp of power.
Other motorcycle manufacturers have also played a similar styling strategy and have been very successful, for example, Yamaha which sells the YZF-R15, a 150cc fully faired motorcycle, which gets its design cues from the YZF-R1 which is a litre class supersport and the recently launched naked street fighter MT-15 owes its design to the MT-09.
The lucrative 150cc to the 250cc segment has a lot of opportunities especially in the premium low displacement offering and if the duo is priced competitively, it will take on the already established players like KTM, Bajaj, Yamaha, Suzuki, Honda and TVS. When launched, the Italian bikes will rival the Yamaha MT-15, YZF-R15, Suzuki Gixxer SF, Gixxer 150 and the newly launched KTM RC 125 and 125 Duke.
In India, the Aprilia brand currently sells the 125 cc and a 150 cc engined scooters which currently dominate their own niche market.