The Indian superbike market, which is seeing a lot of action in recent times, has got a fillip with the re-entry of renowned Italian manufacturer Ducati. The company has this time around come to India directly after its first unsuccessful attempt in 2008 when it had tried to access the market through a distributor.

On June 19, the company formally kicked off its arrival in India with the opening of its Delhi-NCR 3S dealership. The Ducati store, which is fully operational, covers five floors and, with a total area of 2,694 square metres, is the biggest in the world (pictured below).  

Ducati took the opportunity to unveil two new variants of its Scrambler motorcycles – the Classic and the Full Throttle. It has already introduced its Scrambler Icon motorcycle in the Indian market. According to the company, the Scrambler bikes were initially designed for the US market but soon became popular worldwide. 

“Of the two new Scrambler variants introduced, the Classic is aimed at those who appreciate attention to detail and 1970s style, but who don’t want to compromise on riding pleasure and functionality. The Full Throttle version, inspired by the flat track world, is destined for those who want a motorcycle perfect for everyday use and with a distinctive racing style,” said Ravi Avalur, managing director of Ducati India, at the company’s first media conference in Gurgaon.

Ducati has opened a 3S dealership in Delhi-NCR that will provide aftersales service and spare parts with another showroom being at Mumbai. “We will open the next showroom at Bangalore in October 2015. Other showrooms will come up in Pune and Hyderabad in the latter part of the year,” elaborated Pierfrancesco Scalzo, Ducati Asia general manager, sales and marketing.

Further network expansion is on the cards with 13 new dealerships to come up next year, initially in Chandigarh, Jaipur, Kochi, Kolkata and Chennai. While some cities will have a boutique store, at least one 3S dealership will be opened in each city, according to Scalzo.

Ducati motorcycles have received a positive response in the country, according to company officials, with the Monster, Hypermotard and Hyperstrada, all models of the Diavel family, and the 899, 1299, 1299 S and Panigale R superbikes range now available in the Indian market. The Ducati bike price range starts from over Rs 6 lakh for the Monster to around Rs 23 lakh for the Streetfighter.

The Italian manufacturer says it is able to keep its price range competitive as it brings in the assembled bikes from Thailand as Completely Built Units (CBUs). Incentives in Thailand along with low customs duties on import of CBUs into India at around 14 percent due to the presence of a Free Trade Agreement between India and Thailand make it commercially viable for Ducati to keep a rein on product prices.