Husqvarna has finally entered the Indian market with the Vitpilen 250 and Svartpilen 250. The Vitpilen is a café racer-styled bike, while the Svartpilen is a scrambler. Both bikes have been launched at a ‘special introductory price’ of Rs 1.80 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).
At this price, the 250cc Husqvarnas cost only Rs 7,000 more than the KTM 200 Duke. The bikes also undercut the 250 Duke (the bike on which they are based) by Rs 20,000. The pricing is quite impressive, but what remains to be seen is how it will change after the special introductory period ends.
KTM India had previously suggested that Husqvarna will be positioned as a more premium brand over KTM However, Husqvarna now appears to be adopting a more aggressive introductory pricing strategy to help establish the relatively unknown Swedish brand in the Indian market.
The Husqvarna motorcycles will be sold out of KTM showrooms, which have been upgraded to sell both KTM and Husqvarna brands. The bikes will be making their way to showrooms in early March – 100 showrooms across 45 cities will stock the bikes, to begin with. Over the next five months, the footprint will expand to almost 400 KTM/Husqvarna showrooms across 275 locations.
These Husqvarnas share mechanical components with the KTM 250 Duke and are powered by the same 248.8cc, liquid-cooled, single-cylinder motor mated to a 6-speed gearbox. The bikes make 30hp at 9,000rpm and 24Nm at 7.500rpm, while weighing 153kg (dry) (Vitpilen) and 154kg (Svartpilen), respectively. The styling on the bikes is identical to their respective 401 counterparts, except that the duo use alloy wheels instead of wire-spoke units. The wheels are shod in MRF tyres.
Speaking on the occasion Rakesh Sharma, executive director, Bajaj Auto said, “The premium motorcycle segment has seen a strong growth in India over the last five years of almost 19 percent CAGR, with two broad classes of motorcycles – sporty high-performance motorcycles and lifestyle motorcycles with limited performance. The Husqvarna twins are superbly crafted and will be a game changer in the lifestyle performance segment. We look forward to see Husqvarna replicate the success of KTM motorcycles by targeting a different and a complementary consumer segment.”
Azaman Chothia
Vishal Venugopal
