If reports are to be believed, it is likely that the brand Huqsvarna Motorcycles would be arriving in India as soon as next year. A report by a business website suggests that Bajaj Auto, that currently holds a large stake in Austrian brand KTM motorcycles, is anticipated to start manufacturing Husqvarna models, namely the Vitpilen and the Svartpilen at their manufacturing plant in the city of Chakan, Pune.
KTM CEO Stefan Pierer had acquired the Husqvarna brand from the BMW Group back in 2013 and later renamed it from Husqvarna AG to Husqvarna Motorcycle GmbH. The company revealed that it does not have plans to have any current plans to introduce the models in India.
KTM, which entered the India in 2012 with the Duke 200, has sold 23,000 units in the domestic market in the 2014-15 fiscal, a 35 per cent growth over the preceding year and now plans to expand its dealership network by 88 more outlets by next year.
Speaking to the publication, Amit Nandi, Senior Vice President (pro biking), Bajaj Auto, said, “We still have a long distance to go in terms of establishing KTM itself in the Indian market, before fragmenting our customer base to yet another brand. Despite the sports motorcycle segment in India, pegged at 120,000 units annually, witnessing flat growth or marginally declining, KTM is expecting to close the current financial year with sales of 30,000 units.”
Source: Business Standard