Diego Graffi: No fixed plans for India launch of Aprilia RS 150 & Tuono 150

17/06/2019 - 14:30 Aprilia RS 150, Aprilia Tuono, Aprilia Suvil Susvirkar

Last month, a report claimed that Piaggio may launch the 150 cc Aprilia motorcycles in India by late-2020. However, Moneycontrol reports that the 150 cc motorcycles from Aprilia have been put on the backburner to concentrate on electric vehicles and BS-VI upgrade. Piaggio Vehicles had displayed the Aprilia 150 cc motorcycles, the RS 150 and the Tuono 150 at Auto Expo 2018.

Aprilia RS 150 front right quarter at 2018 Auto Expo — The Aprilia RS 150 (pictured) and the Tuono 150 were displayed at Auto Expo 2018 in India. The company has reportedly put the plans to introduce the 150 cc bikes on the backburner to concentrate on electric vehicles and BS-VI compliance.

Also Read: Piaggio announces the India launch of Aprilia Storm 125

The report from Moneycontrol suggests that Piaggio does not have any concrete plans of entering the lower displacement segment anytime soon. Do note that the company has denied the general market slowdown as the reason behind withholding the launch.

Diego Graffi, Managing Director and CEO, Piaggio Vehicles, told the business website:

I can confirm that the interest for the segment and what would be the market opportunity for it here in India exists. The brand will be Aprilia (and) the kind of bike will be a premium, mid-range with engine size between 150 cc and 250 cc. We are studying various options and are trying to find what would be the best offering at the time we will be entering the market.

Graffi also confirmed that the company has not fixed a date to introduce the two motorcycles. He added:

At present, we do not have a fixed date. It has taken a little bit longer than what we had planned initially as we want to find the best trade-off between what is the expected price and what is the level of local content (in the bikes) we are introducing.

Denying the slowdown in the two-wheeler as the reason behind postponing the launch, Graffi explained:

We have seen lots of new introductions in the mid-range segment from our competitors. Our strategy is driven by the fact that whenever we enter the market we (need to) do that with something that is really a breakthrough product.

Aprilia Tuono 150 headlight at 2018 Auto Expo — The Aprilia RS 150 and the Tuono 150 (pictured) is based on the RS-V4 and Tuono 1100 1,100 cc motorcycles.

Also Read: Aprilia Storm 125 vs. Aprilia SR125 – Specs and Features Comparison

The Aprilia RS 150 and the Tuono 150 use a 150 cc liquid-cooled, four-valve, single-cylinder engine with fuel-injection tech that delivers 18 BHP of power at 10,000 rpm and 14 Nm of torque at 7,500 rpm. This engine is linked to a six-speed transmission. The fully-faired RS 150 and the Tuono 150 would have competed with the Yamaha YZF-R15 V3.0 and the Yamaha MT-15 respectively.

[Source: Moneycontrol.com]