At the sidelines of the EICMA 2023 motor show, we got to meet Diego Arioli - Head of Product Marketing Motorcycles, Piaggio Group and he gave us some insights on Piaggio’s intentions with the RS 457 in India.
“In my opinion India is a market with a class of customers looking for what’s the next chapter. Seeing what’s currently on offer with affordable fully faired bikes, I noticed the proposition is all about single cylinder bikes. In my opinion, the next big story could be moving to the twin and that’s why we wanted to launch the bike in India”
Diego tells us that the main idea is for it to be available not at CBU prices. That being said, he confirmed that Aprilia will stick to its positioning as a premium company and will not get into price competition with other players. With the RS 457’s parallel twin motor, aluminium chassis and premium electronics, Arioli believes that Aprilia is justified to have an ambitious price.
It was always expected that the RS 457 would be priced at a premium, but the concern was by how much. We finally have a clear idea as Arioli tells us that the company is contemplating a price between Rs 3.75 lakh to 4 lakh. He goes on to say that the price needs to be ambitious and not for everyone, but still at a reasonable price.
This philosophy goes with the fact that Aprilia has a big task on its hands with dealership expansion and training in order to offer the right experience for such an expensive product. This will be the first time Piaggio is selling a locally made motorcycle in India and it will cost two to three times that of the existing Aprilia and Vespa scooters.
The RS 457 is a global product and it will be sold in the same spec in Europe. For now, India is the only production base, but CKD assembly might commence at a later date - Aprillia has 6 production facilities worldwide - India, Vietnam, Indonesia and three plants in Italy. To make an entry in India, local production was the only way and that’s why the Baramati plant was selected for this project.
In other good news, Arilio suggests that the advent of the RS 457 in India could have positive effects on the big bike business as well. With the opening of more premium Motoplex outlets in large cities, the sales and service network for big bikes could also be increased. This is something that is currently very limited for the Aprilia and Moto Guzzi CBU motorcycles.
The Aprilia RS 457 India launch is likely to happen early next year and we expect to be riding the bike around that time as well. Is a sub Rs 4 lakh price tag appealing for the premium technology, equipment, design and brand value that the Rs 457 brings? Let us know in the comments section below.
