KTM is planning to shift production of two entry level bikes Husqvarna Svartpilen 401 and Vitpilen 401 to the Chakan plant of Bajaj by late 2018 or early 2019
Husqvarna is owned by Stefan Pierer, CEO of KTM and Bajaj own 48 percent stake in the Austrian company. Ever since the acquisition of Husqvarna there were rumours that the company is coming to India. Now KTM is planning to shift production of two entry level bikes of Husqvarna to the Chakan plant of Bajaj.
The bikes that will be manufactured in India are Svartpilen 401 and Vitpilen 401. These bikes were already spotted in India and both these bikes are powered by same engine from KTM Duke 390 as the Austrian manufacturer exports Duke/RC 390 from India to all the major countries like US, Europe, Asia and several other regions.
Also Read : Husqvarna Brand To Enter India By 2020 With Vitpilen And Svartpilen Range
Husqvarna has launched Svartpilen 401 and Vitpilen 401 already in global markets and currently these products are manufactured at Mattighofen, Austria. The engines for these bikes are already made in India for KTM bikes, so it’s a good move by Husqvarna to shift product to Chakan plant.
The Svartpilen 401 and Vitpilen 401 will be the sixth and seventh products to be manufactured exclusive for global markets in India along with other KTM models. Husqvarna is expected to price its entry level model just above KTM Duke 390 which is priced at Rs. 2.2 lakh.
Also Read : Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 Spied Undisguised; Launching Sooner Than Expected?
The production of both these bikes will begin by the end of 2018 or early 2019. We can expect Bajaj to introduce Husqvarna brand by the middle of 2019 in India and the company will also add one more product to its assembly line later this year when the production version of much awaited KTM Adventure 390 make its debut at EICMA.
BMW is going to bring G310 R and G310 GS next month in India. As adventure bike segment is going to expand in coming months, KTM is going to introduce Adventure 390 soon after the global launch and it will share same engine from Duke/RC390 but some other mechanical components will be different.