TVS Likely To Unveil Production Version of Zeppelin Cruiser at Auto Expo 2020

TVS Motors’ stand at Auto Expo 2018 had one of the major attractions of the biennial auto gala. It was the Concept of the Zeppelin cruiser bike. Now there is news that the Indian maker may be gearing up to bring the production version of the bike to the Indian market. There are reports that the bike maker may just launch the cruiser bike at the Auto Expo 2020, a full 2 years after the concept of the bike was showcased for the public. The upcoming cruiser from the Indian company will come with a 212cc air cooled four stroke engine that may be rated to deliver power somewhere in the range of 20 Bhp.

The upcoming bike will also comply with the BS-VI emission norms that will kick in from April 1, 2020. The transmission duties on the bike will be handled by a 5 speed manual gearbox and the company may market the bike as a sport cruiser in the market. This will be a welcome relief for the market as the current options only include Bajaj Avenger and Royal Enfield line-ups, both of which are aimed at relaxed cruising. Talking of the rivals in the segment, TVS is likely to price the Zeppelin somewhere between Bajaj Avenger 220 and the pricier Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350. There are rumours that the TVS Zeppelin may be launched in the price band of Rs. 1.2 lakhs.

The reports about the launch of the bike also indicates that the attractive and futuristic bits of the concept of the bike like the LED headlamp, upside down front forks, spoked wheels, disc brakes on both wheels with dual channel ABS, as well as start-stop system to boost mileage and curb emissions are also likely to make an appearance on the production version of TVS Zeppelin. TVS will also use a lot of parts from the Apache series of bikes to keep the production costs of the Zeppelin under control, mostly because some of the aforementioned features of the bike will tend to push the cost of the upcoming cruiser high.

If launched in the market, the Zeppelin will be the second priciest offering from the brand right after the Apache RR310, which has had a disappointing sales run lately. The TVS Zeppelin sure looks an attractive offering especially when the Concept is looked at, but do expect to see a lot of changes on the production model of the bike as makers often tone down the features of the concepts in production form to keep the cost of the product under control.