TVS Akula 310 To Be Launched Early Next Year

The TVS Akula 310 is the next highly awaited launch from TVS Motor Company, and the company has finally confirmed that it will be introducing the sports bike in the last quarter of the financial year. We expect the Akula 310 to be launched sometime around March 2017 at a price of under Rs 2 lakh.

In a recent statement, TVS Motor's CFO, SG Murali said, "We will launch the first product (from the TVS-BMW tie-up) by February or March 2017". The news certainly ends all the speculations that were doing rounds about the flagship TVS, which was showcased as a concept at the Auto Expo earlier this year.

The TVS Akula 310 is likely to use the 'Apache RTR 300' moniker upon launch, and will be the company's first full faired offering. It will be the second product to emerge from the TVS-BMW partnership - first being the BMW G 310 R - and will also share its underpinnings with the latter using the same engine and frame.

BMW G310R

The power output and delivery is expected to be altered on the flagship TVS with the model being a little more aggressive, unlike the touring friendly G 310 R. On the BMW, the 313cc single-cylinder motor makes 34hp and 28Nm of torque, paired to a 6-speed gearbox.

The Akula 310 is expected to be a more track focused offering, similar to the KTM RC 200. This means that the full faired sport bike will be more competitive in terms of pricing, thanks to being locally manufactured at the company's Hosur facility. So, expect the model to cost in the vicinity of Rs. 1.75-1.90 lakh (ex-showroom).

TVS Akula 310 at the 2016 Auto Expo

With respect to design, we do expect most elements from the concept making it to the production version. Interestingly, Akula translates to shark in Russian and that is evident in the styling of the bike. However, the production ready TVS Akula 310 will be toned down in several ways and there isn't likely to be carbon fibre bodywork which was seen in the concept. But expect to see the compact frame, split seats, twin headlamps, clip-on handlebars, high-performance tyres, petals discs, dual-channel ABS and much more.

While the Akula 310 will be finally making it to showrooms by the end of this fiscal, BMW Motorrad will commence operations early next year and is expected to introduce the G 310 R in the first quarter of FY2018. Despite close launch timelines, both models will be targeting different audiences at different price points, which make them equally interesting motorcycles to look forward to.