BMW Motorrad, the motorcycle division of the German brand has confirmed that their small capacity motorcycles, which they have built in association with India’s TVS Motors, will be revealed in the next few weeks. We expect they are going to be unveiled at the 2015 Milan Motorcycle Show (EICMA) in November 2015.
The news was revealed by Karl Viktor Schaller, Head of Engineering at BMW Motorbikes, in an interview recently. He not only confirmed that the new bikes will be unveiled in a few weeks, but also confirmed that there will not be one, but a range of 300cc motorcycles. The entire range of new BMW TVS motorcycles is built on the same platform and features the same engine. “There will be multiple models based around the same platform. With development costs so high this is the best way of increasing efficiency,” he adds.
Karl Viktor Schaller, Head of Engineering at BMW MotorbikesSpeaking about the new range of 300cc motorcycles, Mr Schaller says that though these will be small in capacity, and will be less powerful than traditional BMW motorbikes, they will have the same DNA as a BMW motorcycle. “It may have less horsepower but it has the same engine behaviour and this will be a very nice bike,” he adds.
BMW Motorrad is a on a record growth. BMW sold 123,495 bikes in 2014, their highest for any calendar year. With the new range of 300cc motorcycles, BMW aims to increase their sales even further as not only they will now be more accessible to a larger group of buyers, but will also be able to penetrate in new markets across the globe.
So does that mean BMW will continue producing smaller capacity motorcycles, to generate more sales? Mr Schaller says no, that is not how it works. “We believe there is room to expand the BMW brand below what we have now but this doesn’t mean we will have a 50cc scooter. That’s not going to work,” he adds.
BMW S 1000R – Photos (Unrelated)
via MotorcycleNews
