The BMW G 310 R, jointly developed by BMW Motorrad and TVS Motor Company, will not be launched anytime this year, and could only be launched by 2018, BMW Group India President Vikram Pawah has told CarandBike. In an interview, Pawah has said that right now, BMW Motorrad is setting up its network across key cities in India, and the launch of the made in India BMW G 310 R is not going to happen in the current calendar year. Earlier this year, BMW Motorrad commenced operations in India, with four dealerships and introduced most of its products sold globally in India as completely built units (CBUs), or direct imports.
Also Read: BMW G 310 R And BMW 310 GS Launched In India
Also Read: BMW G 310 R, BMW G 310 GS Launch Live Updates
"We just opened four dealerships which are in Bengaluru, Pune, Ahmedabad and Mumbai. Along with that we also brought in all our 11 products from the world right now, and launched them in India again, through our network. We're in the process of establishing our network right now across key cities, and it will take some time, then we'll start looking at where to take the Motorrad business. At the moment, it's purely about looking at the CBU business, looking at that and setting up the network this year," Pawah told CarandBike.
BMW G 310 R
As for the much-awaited, made in India BMW G 310 R, Pawah has categorically stated that the bike will not be launched this year, even though it's already being exported and sold in markets abroad.
"We just launched the bike in the worldwide market and then there is a 'stage launch' in various countries, based on their readiness. Obviously, India, we will look at it, when we're ready with our network and when do we launch it, in the sequence of events in the world, but not this year, not this year," Pawah said.
To a specific question about whether BMW Motorrad will launch the G 310 R in 2018, Pawah remained non-committal about a timeline, but added that 2018 'could be' the year when the G 310 R is launched, but the network has to be established first.
"Let's set up the network first and then make out the plans when we launch then. We don't make a launch announcement till the time we have our foundation right. As a brand, delivering value means we need to be sure about delivering value in a consistent way continuously, so, I'm going to set up the network first and then see where we go with that," he added.
BMW G 310 R production engine with reverse cylinder layout
The BMW G 310 R is powered by a 313 cc, four-stroke, single-cylinder engine which makes 34 bhp of maximum power at 9,000 rpm and peak torque of 28.4 Nm at 7,500 rpm. The engine uses a unique reverse layout architecture with the cylinder dipping towards the rear, with the intake at the front and the exhaust toward the rear of the engine. The engine is counterbalanced and is expected to have finesse and refinement in operation. So far, BMW Motorrad has not given any indication of a possible launch price, but we expect it to be priced under Rs. 2 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).
The delay of the BMW G 310 R's launch means that TVS Motor Company's full-faired version of the bike, to be called the TVS Apache RR 310S, could now be launched sooner than the BMW G 310 R in India.
