Italian luxury-bike manufacturer, Ducati, has opened its first showroom in India in the country’s financial capital, Mumbai. The company plans to begin operations in the National Capital Region by the end of the year, and in the rest of India thereafter. It is targeting a sales figure of 100 units in its first year in the country. Mr Cristiano Silei, sales Vice President of Ducati, said he was confident that there was a market for super-bikes in India in the medium and long term. Apart from Mumbai and Delhi, the company is also planning to enter cities like Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai and Kolkata. Silei said that Ducati’s entry into India would help develop a culture of motor sports in the country. The company will sell a wide range of bikes in India, including Superbike, Desmosedici RR, Monster, Multistrada, Sport Classic and Hypermotard, with prices ranging from Rs 9.6 lakh to Rs 43 lakh (ex-showroom, Mumbai).
Other companies already selling luxury bikes in India are Yamaha, Honda and Suzuki. US-based bike manufacturer Harley Davidson too announced recently that it would enter India by the middle of 2010.