After moving away from the partnership with Pune-based DSK Motowheels, the Italian bike maker has now returned to the market with a new partner Mahavir Auto, the current partner of Benelli in India was also a former dealer of the bike brand. With the new partnership in place, the Chinese-owned Italian motorcycle brand Benelli has now started the assembly of its bikes on a local scale in a new facility in Hyderabad. Now that the brand has started assembling the Completely Knocked Down kits of their bikes in India, the prices of the entry level bikes from the brand have seen a dramatic price cut. The entry level models of the bike TNT 300 street naked and the fully faired 302R have now become significantly cheaper. While the naked street TNT 300 model has seen a price cut of Rs. 50,000, the fully faired Benelli 302R has become cheaper by Rs. 60,000. This means that the TNT 300 will now be priced at Rs. 2.99 lakhs, ex-showroom, and the Benelli 302R will be priced at Rs. 3.10 lakhs ex-showroom.
The fresh price cuts have not only made the bike more attractive and affordable for the prospective customers, the bikes will now be able to give the rivals in the price range a tough competition as well. The options for the customers around this price point are the Kawasaki Ninja 300R, the Yamaha R3, and the wildly popular Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650. Even the significantly cheaper KTM Duke 390/RC390 models will feel the heat due to the recent price cuts in Benelli 300 models and the segment will see some more intense rivalry now.
Speaking about the newly forged partnership, the managing director for Benelli India Vikas Jhabakh said,
We strongly believe in the value proposition of our products and customer sentiments towards the brand Benelli. We have witnessed a significant reduction in the manufacturing cost of the TNT 300 and 302R models and this has helped us to pass on the benefit to the biking enthusiasts in India.
The Benelli 300 bikes come with a 300 cc, in-line twin-cylinder engine rated to deliver 36.2 Bhp and 27 Nm. The engine is a high revving one and despite the lower performance figures as compared to some of the rivals, these bikes have their own charm as the exhaust note of these bikes is something that every customer loves. This same exhaust sound gives the riders a feel that they are riding a proper big bike despite the engine displacing only 300 cc.
As far as other details are concerned, both the bikes are built on a Trellis frame and comes with USD front forks and a rear monoshocker. The braking duties are handled by twin discs at front and a single disc at rear and dual channel ABS comes as standard on the two models. The exhaust note and the large size of the bikes are the major appeal points of the bike and with the recent partnership forged with Mahavir Auto, the Benelli bikes are now available in almost every major city in India.