KTM India is all set to launch the BS6 versions of the Duke and RC family in the month of January 2020. The launch of the KTM BS6 models will take place in a phased manner, beginning with the 250 Duke, then the 390 Duke and followed by the RC 390. These are expected to go on sale in a few days time. This will be followed by the KTM 200 Duke and RC 200 that will be available in BS6 form by the end of January 2020. It’s pertinent to note that this BS6 model roll out does not include the KTM 125 Duke and RC 125, as of now. As per our sources, the BS4 KTM 125s will continue to sell till the end of February 2020 while the BS6 versions will go on sale in March 2020.
The move to BS6 will expectantly increase the price of the KTMs across the range and it’ll be interesting to see if KTM throws in additional features to sweeten the deal. Also, given the performance-oriented nature of these KTMs (especially the 390s), it’ll be interesting to see if the company can maintain the current power figures while upgrading the engines to BS6.
To reiterate, all existing two-wheelers on sale in India have to upgrade to meet the Bharat Stage VI emission norms that are set to kick in from April 2020 onwards. All two-wheeler manufacturers are in the process of upgrading their current line-up to conform to the mandate and there will be a slew of launches over the course of the next few months.
Vishal Venugopal
Ved Janve
Azaman Chothia
