A new Aprilia motorcycle was recently spotted testing near Piaggio's plant in Baramati. It has been already speculated before that this was most likely a brand-new bike called the RS 440.
The Italian premium bike major will enter the active Indian midsize motorcycle market with the Aprilia brand in the second half of 2023. It will do so as part of its plan to revamp and strengthen its two-wheeler business in the country.
Designed and developed for emerging markets like India, China, Vietnam, and Indonesia, these will be among the key manufacturing bases where this model will be manufactured.
The motorcycle is expected to be released in September. In time for India's first MotoGP race, in which Aprilia will play a key role. The sports bike was developed with critical input from the Indian market. It is expected to be manufactured in the company's factory in Baramati.
Aprilia RS 440 will compete in the competitive midsize motorcycle segment with the KTM RC 390 and the Kawasaki Ninja 300/400. The company is hoping to sell 10k to 15k units per year.
To create this new motorcycle, Piaggio India worked with R&D facilities in China, India, Indonesia, Italy, and Vietnam. While the Indian market is the company's immediate priority, Piaggio will probably export this midsize bike from that country.
Diego Graffi, CMD of Piaggio Vehicles Pvt Ltd (PVPL), gave an insight into their future plans. The company intends to refresh and reinforce its position in the Indian two-wheeler market over the next decade. They intend to achieve it by launching new vehicles and expanding into new segments such as motorcycles.