NEW DELHI: Gero giant BMW Motorrad on Wednesday finally launched the much anticipated sub-500 cc bikes- G310 R and G310 GS in India priced at Rs 2.99 lakh and Rs 3.49 lakh, respectively. These are the first models that BMW has developed along with partner TVS Motor Company.
"The most awaiting and the most accelerating brand that was to enter India in the sub 5oo cc finally happened. The BMW bikes are priced very competitively and will create a lot of new customers for us," Vikram Pawah, President, BMW Group India told TNIE.
Pawah said that the bikes are built in India for the world. "The bikes are 100 per cent local built in collaboration with TVS Motor at the Hosur plant for bike lovers across the world," he said.
BMW Motorrad already exports the two bikes in other global markets including Mexico, Brazil and Europe. With the two new models, BMW now has a portfolio of 16 models. BMW Motorrad started selling its premium range of motorcycles in India last year and closed the year selling 252 units within nine months of launch. Dimitris Raptis, Head of Region Asia, China, Pacific, South Africa, BMW Motorrad said that company considers India as one of the most important markets for future growth.
The company sold around 1.64 lakh units last year, a growth of 15 per cent over previous year and aims to sell 2 lakh units by 2020 globally. While the company has started to officially accept bookings from June 8, deliveries have already begun on first come first serve basis. At present, BMW Motorrad dealerships are spread across only in 7 cities- Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Pune, Chennai, Ahmedabad and Kochi.
Pawah said that they have plans to take the number to 10 by early next year as they see immense opportunity beyond tier-1 markets. The two bikes launched today are powered by the the same 313 cc single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine that creates a power of 34 bhp. The two bikes also shareme 6-speed gearbox along with the chassis.
The G310R reaches a top speed of 145kph while the G130GS reaches 143kph. At the given price point, the bikes faces competition from the KTM 390 Duke but in the sub-500 cc category, it will have to grab market from established model such as Royal Enfield Himalayan and Royal Enfield Dominar.