Looks to dramatically increase sales in India this year

BMW Motorrad, the two-wheeler division of the German automotive manufacturer on Thursday launched the latest version of the S1000RR Superbike in India with actor Shahid Kapoor rising in with the first motorcycle. The S1000RR features a 999cc four-cylinder inline engine with variable valve timing and other innovative features that allow the motorcycle to produce a peak power of 207horsepower making it one of the most powerful two-wheelers to ever go on sale in India. The S1000RR will come in three variants and prices start at Rs 18.5 lakh and go up to Rs 22.95 lakh for the variant with the M-Sport kit which has several weight-saving improvements.

Speaking to The Pioneer, Dmitris Raptis, Head of Asia-Pacific, BMW Motorrad said that he expected sales to increase dramatically in India in 2019. “For one, this will be the first full year we will have the 310-series available. In 2018 we sold 2187 units but the 310 series has been a huge success. We are expanding from 11 dealerships to 16 dealerships in India which I feel is a sustainable level of growth.”

Raptis also made clear that BMW Motorrad is working on electrification he does not see the cost of electric two-wheelers going down significantly. “I feel it will be four-wheelers that will go electric first and drive costs lower. But there is no doubt that electrification will happen.” He added that BMW Motorrad is very happy with their production partnership with TVS Motors, the Indian manufacturer produces the 310-series of motorcycles for BMW at their Hosur plant in Tamil Nadu but he did clarify that there are no additional joint projects between BMW and TVS in the near future. “We have some gaps in our product portfolio, we do not have anything between the 310’s and our F750, but we are constantly evaluating new opportunities.”