The first model to hit the retail stores under the SWM Motorcycles umbrella will be the Superdual, a mid-capacity bike with on- and off-road capabilities.
27 Mar 2018 | 10679 Views | By Amit Panday
MotoRoyale, the Pune-based Kinetic Group’s multi-brand superbike initiative, is preparing for the debut of SWM Motorcycles in India. The first model to hit the retail stores under the SWM Motorcycles umbrella will be the Superdual, a mid-capacity bike with on- and off-road capabilities.
SWM Motorcycles is the second Italian brand associated with MotoRoyale, the first one being the super premium MV Agusta.
Autocar Professional learns that the SWM Superdual model(s) is currently undergoing homologation and the company is planning to commercially launch the brand in India by June or mid-2018. The company, however, has refused to comment on this for now.
The company, under the MotoRoyale umbrella, is eyeing local assembly of SWM motorcycles at its Ahmednagar facility using imported completely knocked down (CKD) units. Meanwhile, the parent company, Kinetic Engineering, is understood to have infused fresh investments at its existing manufacturing facility to prepare it for the assembly operations of the premium motorcycles from different brands.
The SWM Superdual will be powered by an oil-cooled, single-cylinder, EFI, 600cc engine, which will be mated with a six-speed transmission system. The on- and off-road tourer will cater to the evolving category of the mid-capacity adventure motorcycles in India.
Reports suggest that the company may price the incoming model in the range of Rs 500,000 to Rs 700,000 (ex-showroom, Pune) in the domestic market. The SWM Superdual will take on premium rivals in the 600cc-650cc category including the Kawasaki Versys 650. Depending on the features on offer and product packaging, the SWM Superdual may also pull in the customers of Triumph Motorcycles’ 800cc adventure range.
SWM eyes global markets
SWM Motorcycles, which debuted internationally in Spain in 1971 in a racing championship, is yet another example of an old European brand that is looking for growth in the fast-evolving Asian markets.
The company website states, “The SWM range has been conceived for an international audience, with an eye on the emerging markets that require good quality, branded products. The referring market is the European one, closely followed by the Australian market and the South American countries, which require similar homologation standards. Successively the company aims to expand its reach across the Asian and the North American markets. The range will be distributed through new and widespread international sales network, taking advantage of the synergy with the partner Shineray Group that has been producing and exporting motorcycles for the past 13 years.”
Interestingly, SWM Motorcycles is now owned by the China-based Shineray Group, better known as the Chongqing Shineray Motorcycle Company which manufactures two-wheelers, ATVs and vehicle parts.
The Kinetic Group-backed MotoRoyale is arguably India’s first multi-brand motorcycle store concept. Retail stores based on similar concept(s) are commonly seen in the developed markets in the Europe and the USA. While the multi-brand store offers customers a wide variety of motorcycles of different make and categories under one roof, it also is a cost effective retail solution to the manufacturers with niche and premium products with small-scale business.
It can be recalled that MotoRoyale has recently associated itself with the British brand, Norton Motorcycles. Models from Norton are also part of MotoRoyale’s plan of locally assembling premium motorcycles for retail in India, once the Ahmednagar facility is ready (estimated by end-FY2018-19).
Also read: Norton Motorcycles inks JV with Kinetic Group