Hero MotoCorp, the world’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer by volume, has officially entered the Italian market, expanding the Indian manufacturing giant’s presence in Europe. Hero will be introducing three flagship models in Italy – the new Hero Hunk 440, Hero XPulse 200 4V and XPulse 200 4V Pro.
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The Hero Hunk 440 appears to be a rebadged and updated version of the now discontinued Hero Mavrick 440
Hero MotoCorp’s Italy launch marks the company’s 49th international market, and distribution in Italy will be handled by Pelpi International, one of the country’s largest two-wheeler distributors, with a network of over 160 dealers. Initially, Hero motorcycles will be available in key cities across 36 dealerships, with plans to expand to 54 in the coming months.
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The Hero Hunk 440 is essentially a rebadged version of the now-discontinued Mavrick 440 with a slightly different looking exhaust and gold-anodised KYB upside-down front fork, but with the same chassis and engine. Other updates expected is a full-colour TFT screen with Bluetooth connectivity and navigation. The single-cylinder 440 cc engine is shared with the made-in-India Harley-Davidson X440 and makes 27 bhp at 6,000 rpm and 36 Nm of peak torque at 4,000 rpm.
As part of its launch in Italy, Hero MotoCorp is offering a five-year warranty on its products – a standard three-year warranty, extended by an additional two years for the launch. The Hero Hunk 440 may be an export-only model, considering the Hunk name has long been discontinued for the domestic market. The Mavrick 440 has been received widespread acclaim in India but failed to become commercially successful.
