Currently, there are about half a dozen bikes sold under Aprilia brand in India, but all of them fall in the high-capacity 800-1200cc segment.
Aprilia has been present in the Indian market for quite a while now and the success of its scooters in the 125-150cc range speaks volumes. However, Aprilia is now looking to enter the highly competitive 125cc-250cc motorcycle market, a space dominated by the likes of Bajaj, KTM, Yamaha and TVS.
According a report in The Economic Times, Italian manufacturer, Piaggio is planning to launch its first Aprilia 150cc motorcycle in India in 2020. There are also plans for three more models, all in the 150cc segment.
Speaking to the paper, Diego Graffi, managing director of Piaggio Vehicles India, said: "When we entered the scooter space, we focused on the premium end and the same is the case with the range of motorcycles we plan to bring in. We plan to start manufacturing a 150cc bike in next 12-15 months. We plan to launch four motorbikes under Aprilia."
Currently, about half a dozen bikes are sold under Aprilia brand in India, but all of them fall in the high-capacity, 800-1200cc segment. All of these bikes are imported into the country as completely built units and the local manufacture of smaller displacement bikes could help the company price them strategically lower.
Back in 2018, Aprilia had showcased the Tuono 150 street bike and the RS 150 sport bike. According to the report, Gaffi said that the upcoming bikes would be based on these concepts. Gaffi also mentioned that the street bike could feature a higher displacement engine while the sport would be powered by a 150cc motor.
Earlier this year, an RS 150 (closer to the china-spec GPR 150) was spied at a dealer meet in Goa.
