GasGas EC250F
With is new street-legal lineup, KTM’s subsidiary would be aiming to cater to India’s under served off-road motorcycle segment
Riding on a strong global sales performance in the recent years, KTM went on an acquisition spree in a bid to consolidate its position as Europe’s largest motorcycle brand. After bringing the Swedish Husqvarna brand into its umbrella and successfully widening its scope, the Austrian brand went ahead and acquired Spanish off-road specialist GasGas in 2019. We have learnt that KTM is gearing up to introduce GasGas in India later this year.
GasGas enduro motorcycle coming to India
GasGas specializes primarily in medium displacement and pure electric off-road motorcycles but with access to KTM’s well established road-legal platforms, the brand is preparing to foray into new volume-rich segments. International media reports speculate that GasGas is currently working on as many as 3 street motorcycles which are mostly likely to adopt enduro and/or adventure tourer body styles.
While two of them are expected to be based on KTM’s 790 Duke platform, the entry level model is most likely to be a 250 cc model based on India-made Duke’s platform. So, we believe this quarter liter enduro is going to be the first GasGas to be introduced in our market.
While the critical components of this platform are already heavily localized in India, some parts including the bodywork are likely to be imported. We expect the GasGas to have a relatively low volume run compared to its KTM and Husqvarna siblings.
GasGas EC250F
GasGas 250 motorcycle
GasGas already has a 250 cc hardcore, track-focused off-roader in its international portfolio in the form of EC250F which retails at 9,700 euros (over INR 8.5 lakh) but we don’t it is a viable product for India. The brand’s new range of street motorcycles are still under wraps and India is likely to be the launch market for one of them.
The enduro segment in India is heavily under served as of now. The Hero Impulse 200 is the closest one could get to a compact displacement enduro motorcycle in India but it still not serious enough to appeal to hardcore off-road enthusiasts.
The upcoming GasGas motorcycle based on KTM platform would be aiming to address this niche. With WP suspension setup, high ground clearance, off-road tyres, spoke wheels and lightweight body, the motorcycle is expected to have an entirely different character compared to its platform-mates.
Launch timeline
If things progress as per schedule, the new street-legal GasGas enduro motorcycle should be launched in India sometime later this year. In fact the imported kits for the motorcycle have already reached India. GasGas products will be retailed through well established KTM dealership network in the country. We expect the pricing to be on the premium end and dearer than the existing KTM 250 products.
Source: Bike - rushlane.com
