Bajaj Plans New 500 CC Twin Cylinder Motorcycle For KTM In India

KTM 790 Duke prototype 1

Stefan Pierer CEO of KTM confirmed that they will introduce a new 500 cc motorcycle which will be manufactured by Bajaj Auto in India

In a recent interview, KTM’s CEO Stefan Pierer spoke about their current product strategy and also their sales expectation from the newly launched KTM 790 Adventure. He also said KTM aims to sell around 15,000 units of the 790 Adventure range within the next year and it will likely be the next big thing from the brand.

In the same interview, Mr Pierer also confirmed a new 500 cc twin cylinder motorcycle that will actually be manufactured by Bajaj Auto in India. Mr Pierer said they have plans to launch a new twin cylinder motorcycle in the 500 cc category to compete against the Japanese rivals for the growing emerging markets like India.

While KTM CEO did reveal the displacement of the upcoming motorcycle, he did not give out any other information about the motorcycle. We still have no clue whether the 500 cc motorcycle will be a slightly powerful version than the fully faired RC390 or an Adventure Tourer but we do hope it will be to appeal for wider set of customers.

But what we do know is that this motorcycle will be developed by Bajaj and it will launch in India and be positioned above the Duke 390 and the RC390. As far as their recently introduced 790 Adventure(not available in India) is concerned, the motorcycle’s Spain and UK prices were recently leaked online.

Production KTM 790 Duke 2017 EICMA 5

According to the reports the 790 Adventure will be sold for €12,399 (which translates to around Rs. 10.11 lakhs) or £11,099 (Rs. 10.09 lakhs) while the 790 Adventure R will be available at a premium and will be sold for €13,299 (Rs. 10.84 lakh) or £11,999 (Rs. 10.90 lakh).

The KTM 790 Adventure was unveiled recently at the 2018 EICMA. It is powered by a 799 cc, LC8c, parallel-twin engine. This is the same engine which also powers the 790 Duke naked roadster. The engine produces around 95 hp of peak power and is paired with a 6-speed gearbox. The motorcycle also gets a slipper clutch as standard.

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