[TusharK]

Thanks to the Team-BHP fan (he prefers to remain anonymous) who sent this information in. Heartfelt gratitude for sharing it with other enthusiasts via this page!



After getting delayed several times, it looks like BMW Motorrad is finally set to launch the G 310 R and G 310 GS bikes in India in July 2018. The new 310 cc motorcycles will be part of the brand's 'Smart cc bikes', which will be sold through BMW Motorrad's existing dealer network.

Dealerships will be appointing an Executive Sales Lead and two sales representatives to handle the upcoming 'Smart cc' class of motorcycles. Meanwhile, sales and service training sessions are expected to be held between June 22-29, 2018.



The upcoming BMW G 310 R and G 310 GS will be manufactured at the TVS facility in Hosur near Bangalore. Both bikes share the same 313 cc, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine, which is also seen on the TVS Apache RR 310. It produces 34 BHP @ 9,500 rpm and 28 Nm @ 7,500 rpm and comes paired with a 6-speed gearbox.

BMW Motorrad had launched the 750 GS and 850 GS adventure bikes at the 2018 Auto Expo. These bikes are likely to reach showrooms only by the end of the year.

Link to Team-BHP News

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by TusharK

Dealerships will be appointing an Executive Sales Lead and two sales representatives to handle the upcoming 'Smart cc' class of motorcycles. Meanwhile, sales and service training sessions are expected to be held between June 22-29, 2018.

Thanks for sharing. That settles a couple of doubts members had - neither seperate dealerships are coming up for the 310 class, nor TVS is being given the responsibility to handle the sales and support.

I still feel the pricing will be premium since the limited dealership network (quite less than a dozen across the country) can't handle more volumes even if the pricing is competitive. KTM for examples has 18 showrooms in Bangalore as per a quick search on their website, and BMW can't even hope to compete them with just one - that itself has a constraint for space in the heart of the city.

[cmani0000]

Thanks for sharing, much awaited launch

BMW postponed the launch last year stating that they want to strengthen the dealership network before selling the 310cc siblings, not sure how much they have done in that line, as far as I know there are only 2 dealerships in Chennai.Also, I heard the dealers have silently started accepting pre-booking for 50K. Price will be over 3L and will be a premium bike to maintain.

[Th!ru]

Originally Posted by TusharK

The upcoming BMW G 310 R and G 310 GS will be manufactured at the TVS facility in Hosur, Karnataka.

You mean Hosur, Tamilnadu.

[AtheK]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Thanks for sharing. That settles a couple of doubts members had - neither seperate dealerships are coming up for the 310 class, nor TVS is being given the responsibility to handle the sales and support.

I still feel the pricing will be premium since the limited dealership network (quite less than a dozen across the country) can't handle more volumes even if the pricing is competitive. KTM for examples has 18 showrooms in Bangalore as per a quick search on their website, and BMW can't even hope to compete them with just one - that itself has a constraint for space in the heart of the city.

The way they have handled RR310 customers, BMW did themselves a great favor by not letting TVS tarnish their brand image. Apache a superb product has been taken for a ride, thanks to the pathetic attitude of the sales team and sub par dealership experience(They still don't have bikes for test rides).

Now if they can price it sensibly, we will definitely see more of BMW g series then then apache 310's on the road.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by TusharK

BMW Motorrad showcased the 750 GS and 850 GS adventure bikes at the 2018 Auto Expo. These bikes are likely to reach showrooms only by the end of the year.

Small correction - both these bikes were launched at the expo, not just showcased. From our expo report -

Originally Posted by Rehaan

• The BMW F 750 GS has launched @ Rs. 12.20 lakhs.

• The BMW F 850 GS has launched @ Rs. 13.70 lakhs.

However, either the launch seems to have been rather hurried and poorly managed, or they might have really been taken aback by the government decision to cut import duty which came just a few days after they announced the prices - but the bikes haven't hit the showrooms till date.

310s were only showcased at the expo, and not launched. Looks like the launch is happening soon as per your original post above.

[2000rpm]

I bet these bikes will be above the Ninja 300 wrt pricing. Apache RR 310 itself is coming to about 2.5 lakhs on-road. BMW will sure want to command substantial premium above mass market bikes like KTM & TVS.

Also BMW wouldnt want to sell a lot of these bikes as they just dont have the infra to support the walkins and test drives and following services. They have shown little growth wrt service network.

[Shumi_21]

While I have reconciled myself to BMW demanding a substantial premium over its competitors, I hope they don't go to Kawasaki levels of crazy (Ninja 400) levels of pricing. It's very important for BMW to justify said premium with a level of dealership and service experience that is head and shoulders above the competition.

It would be a master stroke to keep the spares and service costs on the lower side. With a high barrier to entry (the purchase price), competitively priced spares and services will ensure that people who buy the G will be extremely satisfied!

Edit: While TVS is manufacturing both the bikes for BMW, am I right to assume that BMW will have better quality control and fit and finish levels?

[dextor]

Originally Posted by Shumi_21

Edit: While TVS is manufacturing both the bikes for BMW, am I right to assume that BMW will have better quality control and fit and finish levels?

BMW will have its own specification for quality checks & parts used. And those would be as per European standards.
Whereas what TVS is using in Apache 310 will be as per Indian standards but I hope better than 150cc segment.

Experts can comment based on look and feel of parts used in both bikes.

I believe BMW will work from quality perspective irrespective of pricing as they will achieve the pricing synergy through manufacturing in India. TVS on other hand wants to go for mass appeal & pricing would be their prime moto.

[.sushilkumar]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

BMW can't even hope to compete them with just one - that itself has a constraint for space in the heart of the city.

Originally Posted by 2000rpm

They have shown little growth wrt service network.

I was always under the impression that BMW is increasing their dealerships / service centers in India & hence delaying the launch of GS. If we are seeing no improvement in dealer ship numbers or service centers, does this meant that BMW just bluffed their way through at the time of global launch or some thing went wrong in between.

Does any one knows the real reason behind non launch of GS in India initially some 2-3 years back.

Just curious

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by .sushilkumar

Does any one knows the real reason behind non launch of GS in India initially some 2-3 years back.

BMW Motorrad official sales channels were introduced in India sometime last year only - around April IIRC. Prior to that, the motorcycles were just imported and sold by Navnit through their car divisions.

So its only a question of why they delayed the launch by an entire year.

[dextor]

Is there a possibility that TVS takes up servicing support for baby BMW?
Sales will happen via BMW but servicing is supported by wide network of TVS centers.

Sometime back when I had a discussion with a honda dealer he told that they hardly make money by selling bikes. Major money comes in servicing. For a basic bike his figures of earning was something around 2-2.5k. And that too for some customers or during lean period they offer discounts.
I am not sure how true these figures are.

I feel TVS has nothing to loose. This will only enhance their brand image. But BMW has to keep a tight watch on service quality (if this happens)

[nasirkaka]

Having a separate showroom for just one platform (BMW 310cc) may not make sense. After the initial euphoria and hullabaloo dies, they may not see too many customers. Adventure scene is growing in India, but compared to the demand for faired and cowled bikes, its still in nascent stage. In naked and faired offerings, the BMW 310 platform wont even come close to the KTM range of 390s, 250s, and 200s - RCs and street fighters. Even that round badge on the tank wont be able to pull substantial customers.

G310GS is priced similar to kawasaki Versys 300X in most of international market, even surpassed it in a few. Ride results as per auto journos abroad pitches the versys 300x ahead of 310gs. In india, if we do not get the price benefit arising from 'country of manufacture" (just like the KTMs pricing), then they aren't interested in volumes. Like versys 300X, altough a good product, has not sold a single bike in last 2 months in India as it is perceived as highly overpriced.

Ok, you are BMW, charge some premium over other brands if you must, but please dont position it where it just becomes a showroom piece. Also service and spares plays a critical role. Going by service and spares spicing of TVS 310rr (akula), which is reasonable, a bit premium is ok. What also bothers is some disturbing news such as in the link below:http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/superb...er-tusker.html

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

https://youtu.be/hkNubrFinWA

Zigwheels discusses if the BMW 310 twins is a case of 'too little, too late'.

[//M]

BMW G310R and G310GS bookings open now !

Source : BMW Motorrad India