KTM 490 Range To Include Five Models; May Not Be Made In India

KTM is developing an all-new range of 490 models, based on a new parallel-twin platform, as we have reported earlier. But now, a leaked slide from a presentation from KTM's parent company, Pierer Mobility, confirms that the new family of KTMs will make their debut as 2022 models. There have been earlier reports of a KTM 490 Duke as well as a KTM 490 Adventure, but the presentation confirms that there will be five models in the 490 line-up. Apart from the 490 Duke and 490 Adventure, which have a strong possibility of being launched in India, there will also be an enduro and supermoto models for the global market.

Also Read: KTM 490 Duke Launch In 2022, Confirms CEO

The upcoming KTM 490 range will also include an adventure model, sitting above the KTM 250 Adventure and the 390 Adventure in the model line-up

The KTM 490 range certainly sounds promising, and unlike the made-in-India KTM 390 Duke, RC 390 and 390 Adventure, the new 490 range may not be made in India after all, despite speculations that the new parallel-twin platform may be manufactured by Bajaj Auto at its new plant. What the 490s will offer is significantly more performance than the 43 bhp, 373 cc single-cylinder engine of the KTM 390 range.

Also Read: KTM 490 Adventure Plans Revealed In Leaked Documents

According to informed sources, Bajaj has no plans of making any parallel-twin engine as yet, so the new 490 platform could well be manufactured by KTM's Chinese partner CFMoto, which also makes bigger parallel-twin engines for KTM, like the 890 range. The big question is whether KTM will launch these bikes in the Indian market. If the 490 range is manufactured locally, KTM would have certainly launched the bikes in India, but with the possibility of the bikes being manufactured in China, these will need to be brought into India, either as CBUs or CKDs, apart from local homologation procedures. We're certainly kicked about the KTM 490 platform, and mid-size models like a 490 Duke, RC 490 and a 490 Adventure will end up offering a unique proposition to Indian customers for sure.