Kawasaki might have launched the Ninja 400 in India which is ideally a replacement for the old Ninja 300, but seems like the brand is not giving up on the lower spec variant just yet. Rumours are doing the rounds that Kawasaki is going to locally source parts for the Ninja 300 and price it noticeably cheaper than what the bike asks for at the moment.
Currently, the Ninja 300 is priced over INR 4 lakh on-road. As per new reports, it is being said that the 2018 Kawasaki Ninja 300 could have a price tag close to INR 2.5 lakh ex-showroom, taking it to the KTM RC 390 zone and on-road price could be close to INR 3 – 3.5 lakh.
Kawasaki is planning to locally source parts for the Ninja 300. Parts such as body panels, lights, wiring, battery, wheels and tyres could be made in India, and this could bring down the costs significantly. A price cut of INR 1 lakh or more is a big amount, and this could change fortunes for Kawasaki as the entry level bike could now appeal to a larger audience. Kawasaki is said to be currently in talks with local vendors to have this sorted.
If this happens, bikes such as the KTM RC 390, TVS Apache RR 310 and even the upcoming BMW G 310 R model could get affected. However, Kawasaki needs to also lower component pricing for after sales, as that has been on the higher side for a long time.
It is unclear if the reduced price model will come with ABS, but most likely it should as the new government norms are going to make it compulsory in less than a year now. So for a brand, it makes no sense to develop two versions of a motorcycle within such a short period of time.
Excited? Well if this indeed is true, and the Kawasaki Ninja 300 becomes more affordable, the showrooms will surely have increased footfall.
Powering the Ninja 300 is a 296cc, parallel-twin, liquid-cooled motor producing 39 HP of power and 27 Nm of torque matched to a 6-speed gearbox with slipper clutch.