[AtheK]

Existing Benelli owners can breathe a sigh of relief as sales and service will continue, but under new management of Mahavir Group, based out of Hyderabad

Link.

https://www.zigwheels.com/news-featu...agement/30695/

This is definitely very good news, benelli is a good brand with some good current and upcoming bikes. I had seen lot of 600i come up for sale recently, probably because of uncertainty of Dsk group future. This should calm the nerves.

Now we can wait for this baby

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by AtheK

This should calm the nerves.

Very true. Benelli was a big question mark before this announcement.

That said - it's not going to be easy for the new management. The entire lineup is showing it's age now and they lack desirable products that can sell. 600GT was killed by the Versys 650, 600i took off as the cheapest inline4 option - but sales reduced when Honda entered with the CBR650F - and their 300 lineup is not competitively priced against the Yamaha and Kawasaki options.

Hopefully fresh products like the Leoncino and the TRK 502 can revive some demand.

[GTO]

Only logical considering the troubles DSK is in. The group now has too many legal battles ahead to even be bothered with Benelli.

But Mahavir is basically a dealership group. Zigwheels says "Mahavir Group will be setting up a new plant in the vicinity of Hyderabad itself and will also be managing sales, service and spares for existing and new Benelli customers".

Can a dealership handle this? Not saying it's impossible, but from what we've seen so far (say, Nissan & Hover or Ashish Chordia), they can't. Benelli should know themselves after the DSK fiasco. So my question is this: Why can't Benelli run the show itself? Why is it outsourcing the same?

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by GTO

Can a dealership handle this? Not saying it's impossible, but from what we've seen so far (say, Nissan & Hover or Ashish Chordia), they can't. Benelli should know themselves after the DSK fiasco. So my question is this: Why can't Benelli run the show itself? Why is it outsourcing the same?

Well DSK were dealers/builders!

Benelli is basically an MG on a smaller scale - a Chinese owned Italian brand. The components must be shipped in at low prices from China. I know nothing about the Quinjiang group but it is quite possible that they do not have the ability or guts to start something outside their home plant. Also considering the sales volumes of Indian big bikes, it might not be worth their time at the moment.

[AtheK]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Very true. Benelli was a big question mark before this announcement.

That said - it's not going to be easy for the new management. The entire lineup is showing it's age now and they lack desirable products that can sell. 600GT was killed by the Versys 650, 600i took off as the cheapest inline4 option - but sales reduced when Honda entered with the CBR650F - and their 300 lineup is not competitively priced against the Yamaha and Kawasaki options.

Hopefully fresh products like the Leoncino and the TRK 502 can revive some demand.

True, but there is still certain desirability in the products. The heavy bass exhaust note on the stock bikes are desirable and as you said they did get the first cheapest inline 4 to India. The bigger problem is the service schedule, it seems that you need to get the bike serviced every three months, now this is a big drawback in this fast paced gen. The other draw back is generally the bikes they produce are on heavier side.

@GTO, probably the low volumes, i am just happy that they just did not bail out completely, leaving the current owners fending for themselves. The new management will bring in a new outlook, and hopefully that turns things around and makes benelli give a serious thought about India. A price drop will be a good start.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Just noticed that the company official website has changed from http://www.dskbenelli.com/ to

https://india.benelli.com/ (Benelli Q.J. | Motorcycles and scooters)

Not a polished website, because there are broken links from products. Suspect they have discontinued the TNT25 and TNT600i - the bigger machines above these were already discontinued earlier. Clicking on TNT25 and TNT600i leads to broken links, and are not available in the products sub-menu either. Only lists the 302R Tornado, TNT300 and the 600GT.

[Hammer & Anvil]

I have always seen Benelli with dread (more for their business sense than their bike quality) and now there was the other UM- or something like that- and next is the SWM.
I wonder who are these Indian counter parts who indulge in them- do they have this much money to get into partnerships with these off name lo-or-no brand recall bikes?
The seat height of the SWM 600-single is worth seeing. Anthropometric data of the average Indian male height should have been taken into account while choosing a model to launch in India- BUT NO....
I dont know who lost money- DSK or Benelli- but I sure know Mahavir is entering some deep and dark waters here.
Alliances among car companies are known to occur and it puzzles the daylights out of me as to why Hero (for example) wont knock on Honda or yamahas door, and get their head out of the 100cc forest- beg or borrow a nice 400cc twin that would rock the touring market in India.

Meanwhile- all the best Benelli+Mahavir.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by Hammer & Anvil

I dont know who lost money- DSK or Benelli- but I sure know Mahavir is entering some deep and dark waters here.

DSK lost money and its failure is not related to Benelli -

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...yota-pune.html
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorb...p-trouble.html

[TangoSierra]

The bigger problem is the service schedule, it seems that you need to get the bike serviced every three months, now this is a big drawback in this fast paced gen.

Yes. That is a big drawback and the service costs a bomb. The 2nd service cost for my TNT 25 was INR 3400 and that is excluding the oil filter, which they did not change as it was not available with them. Though the bike comes with 2+2 years warranty, you need to get it serviced regularly, else the warranty becomes void.

They also only offer one free service and it too costs around INR 1000.

Just noticed that the company official website has changed from http://www.dskbenelli.com/ to

https://india.benelli.com/ (Benelli Q.J. | Motorcycles and scooters)

They changed the website somewhere around September/October last year. Not exactly sure when they changed it though.

[alpha1]

Originally Posted by GTO

So my question is this: Why can't Benelli run the show itself? Why is it outsourcing the same?

I think we know the answer: it is easier to pack-up and leave that way and letting the outsourcee take the blame for failure. While keeping the entry path open for future.

Which means Benelli is still not quite gung-ho about Indian market.

[iamahunter]

Multiple opinions and many valid arguments up here.
BUT, for as a Benelli owner myself, feels at least a little comforted with the news.

“Something is better than Nothing”

I really appreciate the fact that Benelli just did not pull the plug on India, and leave the current owners as orphans.

I truly like their bikes. Me with a couple of associates have driven more than a 1000 kms at a stretch and the 300 cc motor did not break a sweat.
I do not have any hesitation when I say that their engines are awesome. I have done 20,000 kms on mine.

But I cannot say the same about rest of the bike. It’s cheap!
From head to toe, apart from the engine, it’s actually cheap quality. The nastiest part being, that cheap quality has a very extraordinary rate.
For instance, just the rear brake pad on the TNT 300 cost a bomb..! (Rs 4000/-) and they don’t even last that long.

With this new venture I am really hopeful that the local spares parts take over and at least become a little less costly.
At least from what rumors I’ve heard, the chain and the air filters have become less costly due to local manufacturing.
Hope this happens for rest of the bike parts too.



Their new website seems to be this. Looks to be a basic website, nothing fancy here.

- The title still says as DSK Benelli.
- The GT model is not listed. Have they stopped selling it?

[Shumi_21]

We may have a Leoncino 250 and an entry level adventure bike known as TRK 250 by March 2020!!

Benelli is taking commendable initiative (that ideally should have been taken by the Japanese big four)under its new management. They even seem to have plans of localisation of components used in their motorcycle. This should make their prices competitive. If they can lower their service costs and intervals and improve the quality of their bikes, Benelli will become a formidable player in the premium segment. The 250cc-500cc segment is heating up folks. Lots of options for us now.

Source:Autocar

[drive_angry]

Seems like India Benelli website has been updated:
1. It only shows TNT300, 600i and 302R. TNT125 and 600GT are no more listed. May be future strategy to launch leoncino and TRK502.
2. Updated listed if showrooms across India (Chandigarh, Gurugram and Jalandhar are no more listed as Benelli showrooms)😢
3. They have confirmed to launch updated model of TNT300 called 302S in international markets by November 2018

Let's hope Mahavir Group's plan to localize the spares and new products can bring down exorbitant prices.

[neil.jericho]

It looks like the new partnership is taking the India market very seriously.

"Vikas Jhabakh, director, Mahavir Group, said Benelli was looking at setting up an R&D centre in India and make India-specific bikes that have global demand. “Besides, we are setting up the manufacturing plant in two phases. The first phase will become operational by October 2018,” he said. Currently, Benelli has 18 touch points (dealerships) in the country and will add 20 more in the next 12 months."

Source - https://www.thehindu.com/business/In...le24666965.ece

[jpcoolguy]

Recently read a news that Benelli is launching a entry level cruiser motorbike, Motobi Evo 200, in Indonesia. With their second innings with Mahavir group, hoping they would bring this to India as well, which could rival the Avenger series from Bajaj, may be in engine specs but not sure on the pricing point of view.

Source: http://overdrive.in/news-cars-auto/b...j-avenger-220/

The Benelli Motobi Evo 200 was revealed at the Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show (GIIAS) 2018 and will be launched in Indonesia soon. But given its absence from the list of upcoming launches for Benelli India, it is unlikely that it will make to the country any time soon.

The Evo 200 comes powered by a 197cc single cylinder engine which outs 13.9Nm of torque. It also receives 17-inch front and 15-inch rear wheel setup. Anchors come in the form of 280mm and 250mm single discs at the front and rear, respectively. With the cruiser's size and output, the 11.8-litre fuel tank could be ideal for short rides. The Motobi 200 Evo could also challenge the UM Renegade Duty S and Ace models in India.