DSK Motowheels and Benelli have announced a partnership to enter the Indian two-wheeler market. On the sidelines, DSK-Benelli has also revealed five new big bikes, which will go on sale in India a few weeks from now. This joint venture marks a significant step in our market, with a wide fleet of premium Benelli motorcycles earmarked for assembly here by DSK.
Benelli is Italy’s oldest bike-maker, having been in the business a century, starting pre-1920, scripting a colourful history with plenty of ups, downs, and a richly chequered racing heritage. Like so many of the famous European automotive houses, Benelli has over the years changed hands numerous times. It is, since 2005, a European wing of the mammoth, flourishing Qianjiang (Q.J.) corporation, based in Wenling, China.
DSK-Benelli marks the biggest two-wheeler merger of 2014 for us, coming on the heels of TVS-BMW Motorrad and the super successful, path-leading and now well settled, Bajaj-KTM merger. There’s immense potential for this new Indo-Italian venture, with gains visible for both firms.
The DSK-Benelli motorcycle line-up for India covers all bases, with bikes to reach us starting from 300cc, all the way up to a thoroughbred 1130cc superbike. The DSK-Benelli range will comprise the Benelli TNT302, TNT600i, TNT600GT, TNT899 and TNT1130R. TNT stands for ‘Tornado Naked Tre’ a name that’s over the years become synonymous with Benelli.
Of the motorcycles mentioned, Benelli produces the TNT302, TNT600i and the TNT600GT in China, built to conform to strict Italian quality control norms, while the TNT899 and TNT1130R remain manufactured in Italy.
DSK-Benelli will commence sales for its motorcycles here around the end of this calendar year. Benelli aims to have exclusive dealerships in 20 cities across India, over the span of a year. The first few dealerships will come up in the major metros of Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Chennai and Kolkata, all expected to open doors over the next quarter. The sales will be supported by trained after sales service too.
Let’s take a closer look at the motorcycle range DSK-Benelli is soon to bring us.
Azaman Chothia
Vishal Venugopal
