Italian motorcycle maker MV Agusta has big plans for the Indian market that has grown exponentially for the premium motorcycle segment. The manufacturer recently launched the 2017 Brutale 800 in the country priced at Rs. 15.59 lakh (ex-showroom, India) and plans to bring three more bikes in the next couple of months. On the side lines of the launch, MV Agusta revealed that it aims to sell about 300-400 motorcycles every year with India showing promising growth.
Speaking to carandbike.com, MV Agusta Motor - Sales & Marketing Director, Raffaele Giusta said, "We are confident to reach a minimum of 300 units to 400 units growing every year, because the interest in super bikes, sporty bikes and naked bikes is growing here every year in a different way than Europe, since its comparatively a new market."
2017 MV Agusta Brutale 800 priced at Rs. 15.59 lakh (ex-showroom)
Having commenced operations in December 2015, the Italian brand sold over 100 motorcycles in its first year of operations via its Indian representative - Motoroyale, which is a commendable feat for the niche company. The brand's current range starts at Rs. 15.59 lakh for the Brutale 800 going up to the F4 RC Limited Edition priced at Rs. 50.35 lakh (ex-showroom), which is one of the most expensive bikes to be sold in India.
Giusta said, "We have a great potential because the market is larger and the target is larger. We know that India is a country of one billion people. Obviously, our target is not to reach the one billion but there's a niche target."
Exotic in every sense, MV Agusta is regarded as the Ferrari of motorcycles and most of its bikes command a premium price tag over the competition. However, the pricing will get slightly competitive in the future as Motoroyale will start locally assembling the bikes in India. At present, the brand imports the bikes via the SKD (Semi-Knocked Down) route, wherein the engine arrives as a fully built unit and is then fitted to the bike.
MV Agusta India sold over 100 motorcycles in first year of operations
Motoroyale - MD, Ajinkya Firodia told us that they plan to locally assemble MV Agusta bikes in the future making them CKD units. The components will be arriving from the MV Agusta facility in Varese, Italy, with no local content going into the motorcycle.
With currently three dealerships in place, the Italian brand plans to expand its network over the next years to eight outlets. It has already outlined plans for Mumbai and Surat, which will be getting the Motoroyale outlets soon whereas dealerships in the north are also on the radar.
Sharing the process for selecting a dealer, Giusta said, "We have to select the correct dealer that share our commitment to the brand and passion for the brand. We are not selecting dealers that are walking in just like any other kind of a brand."
MV Agusta India has three more launches lined for this year
Speaking about India as a priority for the Italian brand, Raffaele Giusta revealed that India will be one of the main key markets together with the USA, Australia, Japan, Germany, UK, France and Italy. In fact, the sales target for India will see the domestic market contribute about eight per cent to MV Agusta's global sales.
"We are working towards achieving that number [8 per cent]. If we produce around 5000 units globally, the 300-400 units will be 8 per cent of that number." Guista concluded.
