India's Wait For Husqvarnas Just Got Longer, But With Good Reason

It’s not a secret that Husqvarna will be making its debut in India. We have already seen several spy shots of the Svartpilen 401 and the Vitpilen 401 and we know almost everything there is to know about these motorcycles. What we are waiting for is a confirmed launch date, but it seems like we might have to wait a bit more for that crucial detail. The Swedish manufacturer has pushed the launch of the motorcycles to post April 2020. Husqvarna will commence production by the end of this year, but the initial units will be reserved for export.  

The main reason behind Husqvarna postponing the launch is the new emission norms. You see, the bike maker doesn’t want to launch its motorcycles before the emission norms as it has to update its models with BS6-compliant engines later, which will drive up the cost by a significant margin. This is exactly opposite of what KTM has done with the 790 Duke. The current units of the 790 Duke don’t adhere to the BS6 norms. It will bring an updated variant early next year, which will make the 790 Duke a bit more expensive than what it currently is. But, is the 790 Duke’s high price tag really justifiable? Head here to know. 

Rakesh Sharma, Executive Director, Bajaj Auto, said, “We have a robust pipeline of launches for the next 18 months. Our problem is sequencing. These are Husqvarna, high-end KTMs, Dominars, Pulsar and other variants.” Yes, he did mention new Dominars and Pulsars are also in the pipeline. So, will they just be the BS6 variants or we should expect something new from the bike maker? Only time will tell. 

Also read: KTM 250 Adventure Spied Again

Sharma also said that there could be a null period till April, but the companies will launch a gamut of motorcycles after the new emission norms kick in. The only all-new motorcycle we can expect from the trio before April is the much-awaited KTM 390 Adventure. Please, KTM can you just launch the bike already? We have waited enough for this one!

Some dealers in Mumbai and Delhi were under the impression that Husqvarna launch its bikes by the end of this year, so they had already started accepting bookings for a token amount of Rs 5,000. We are expecting the Vitpilen 401 to be priced at around Rs 3.00 lakh - Rs 3.20 lakh while the Svartpilen 401 could retail at Rs 3.10 - Rs 3.30 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). 

Source