2019 Kawasaki Z400 May Be Introduced Globally

Kawasaki has filed new emission documents with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) that confirms that the Japanese manufacturer may be getting ready to introduce a naked variant of the Kawasaki Ninja 400. According to reports, the CARB documents show that Kawasaki will have two 400 cc bikes sharing the same engine - one is listed as the Ninja 400, and the other as "ER400DK" which is likely to be the naked Z400. In Kawasaki's model terminology, the "ER" prefix indicates a naked bike, and the "K" is a reference to the 2019 model year. The Z300 which is offered in markets abroad, had the code name ER300BG.

Most members of the Ninja family share their engines and underpinnings with their naked counterparts, so the Z250 shares the engine with the Ninja 250, the Ninja 650 with the Z650, and the Ninja 1000 with the Z1000. So, the Z400 is also expected to be powered by the Ninja 400's 399 cc, parallel-twin engine. Internationally, Kawasaki has discontinued the Ninja 300, but in India, both the Ninja 300 and Ninja 400 are offered on sale. Priced at Rs. 4.69 lakh (ex-showroom), the Ninja 400 is a lot more expensive than the locally-assembled Ninja 300, which is now priced at Rs. 2.98 lakh (ex-showroom).

(The Kawasaki Z400 is expected to share the same underpinnings as the Ninja 400)

The Kawasaki Z400 is expected to be introduced at this November's EICMA show in Milan, Italy. There's still no word on if the upcoming Kawasaki Z400 will be launched in India. Currently, Kawasaki offers the Z250, Z650, Z900, Z900RS and the Z1000 in India. If it's launched in India, the Kawasaki Z400 is expected to be priced around Rs. 4 lakh, which is still considerably higher than its closest competitors, the KTM 390 Duke, at Rs. 2.40 lakh, and the BMW G 310 R, which is priced at Rs. 2.99 lakh. What the Z400 will offer is a parallel-twin engine; both the 390 Duke and G 310 R have single-cylinder motors. But with a steep price tag, it remains to be seen how the Z400 fares in India, if and when it's launched.