Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 and Husqvarna Svartpilen 401 to be manufactured exclusively in India
KTM AG has announced that it'll shift production of the Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 and Husqvarna Svartpilen 401 from Austria to India. Both motorcycles will be manufactured solely at the Bajaj factory in Chakan and supplied across the world. Production is set to commence by the end of 2018 or early 2019. Bajaj Auto manufactured 41 per cent of KTM's products that were sold globally in 2017.
We had received official confirmation in November 2017 that the Husqvarna brand will be launched in India in 2018. The Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 and Husqvarna Svartpilen 401 should go on sale in India in the coming months, with prices starting around or slightly above the current price of the KTM 390 Duke (Rs 2.4 lakh ex-Mumbai).
The two Husqvarnas or Huskies as they are popularly known come powered by the same fuel-injected 373cc liquid cooled single cylinder engine as the KTM 390 Duke which puts out 43.5 PS of power and 37 Nm of torque. The engine is paired to a 6-speed gearbox with slipper clutch. However, we believe the engines will be re-tuned to churn out more low and mid-range torque for that street/scrambler ride. The chassis and suspension bits are all the same as the Duke as well.
The Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 has a modern cafe racer design, while the design on the Husqvarna Svartpilen is inspired by scramblers. Both motorcycles have a minimalist style. The Vitpilen 401 and Svartpilen 401 get slim, round LED headlamps and circular digital instrumentation. The Vitpilen receives clip-on handlebars for a sportier stance, while the Svartpilen has braced handlebars for a more upright riding position. The latter also receives knobby tyres for more off-road oriented use.
KTM is also readying the 390 Adventure that will go on sale in 2019. The bike has been spotted testing and we have a detailed story on what to expect from the KTM 390 Adventure, after carefully studying the spy shots.