Piaggio to introduce sub-400 cc Aprilia Tuono and RS bikes in India

Piaggio has announced that it will be launching sub-400 cc Aprilia bikes in the Indian market. It will introduce Tuono and RS models ranging in the 300-400 cc category.

Development of the new sub-400 cc bikes will begin shortly and the production-spec models will require at least 2-3 years for debut. Expect the bikes to come out sometime in 2023-2024.

The company previously had plans of entering the market with 150 cc motorcycles, however, Diego Graffi, CEO and MD of Piaggio, has recently revealed that the plans have been scrapped since it is too late to enter the 150 cc segment.

On the other hand, Aprilia sees potential in the bigger sub-400 cc segment which is currently occupied by bikes such as KTM 390 Duke, RC 390, BMW G 310 R, G 310 GS, and TVS Apache RR310.

The company sells Aprilia GPR250 fully-faired bike in China. However, it has confirmed that the India-specific products will be completely different. They will be developed as per the needs of the Indian market.

The company has not confirmed any other detail on the upcoming bikes. As far as engine and mechanicals go, it will most likely use single-cylinder configuration which will help it keep costs under check. In terms of styling, the models bikes will largely draw inspiration from the bigger Tuono and RS models which will help these bikes establish their own identity.

The company would target a price bracket of ₹3 to 3.5 lakh in order to stay competitive in the market. Anything above this and the bikes may be deemed too expensive.