Aprilia shelved their plans to launch the RS 150 and the Tuono 150 in India but could launch a more powerful sub-250cc motorcycle instead
Only recently, we have informed that Aprilia will not be launching the RS 150 and the Tuono 150 in India. These motorcycles were showcased for the first time at the 2018 Auto Expo and were expected to launch in India by next year end.
However, a new report suggests that Aprilia will not be launching the RS 150 and the Tuono 150 with the 150cc engine anymore. A new report state that the motorcycles might be getting a bigger and more powerful engine in order to rival with some fierce competitors of the performance segment in India.
Piaggio India’s MD and CEO, Diego Graffi, said, they are working on launching a premium and mid-range products in India. He said, “I can confirm that the interest for the segment and what would be the market opportunity for it here in India exists.
The brand will be Aprilia (and) the kind of bike will be a premium, mid-range with an engine size between 150cc and 250cc. At present, we do not have a fixed date. It has taken a little bit longer than what we had planned initially as we want to find the best trade-off between what is the expected price and what is the level of local content (in the bikes) we are introducing.”
So keeping the context in mind, there is a fair chance that Aprilia could launch a new motorcycle with a larger engine. Initially, Aprilia’s plan was to launch the GPR in India that is sold in the markets of China with a 150cc, single cylinder engine producing about 18 PS of peak power and 14 Nm of peak torque.
The motorcycle could have been sold in India under the RS 150 nameplate. However, it would have been a hit if it was launched a few years ago. Yamaha has upped the competition in the smaller 150cc segment of India by launching the R15 V3.0 in India last year.
So in order to become successful Aprilia could launch a more powerful sub-250cc motorcycle to compete with the KTM Duke 200 and the RC 200 instead. Aprilia could increase the engine displacement to stay ahead of their rivals in order to make their products a hit amongst the customers.