Husqvarna sold 163 units of its motorcycles in its very first month of operating in India. Swedish motorcycle legend Husqvarna entered the Indian market with the launch of the Svartpilen 250 and Vitpilen 250 on 25 February, 2020.
In a month since then, the brand has sold 163 motorcycles. One could argue that it is quite a dismal number for such a big brand, but the counter-argument would be that the outbreak of the virus was majorly responsible for the low figure.
Founded in 1904, Husqvarna is one of the oldest motorcycle manufacturers in the world. It makes some of the best street fighters and off-road motorcycles in the world. It is now owned by KTM AG, thereby being indirectly owned by Bajaj Auto. With this connection, it was known that the brand would make it to the Indian market sooner or later.
Well, February 2020 was when the manufacturer officially debuted in India. Though the Vitpilen and Svartpilen 250 were launched on 25 February, bookings for the motorcycle had commenced earlier.
The Husqvarna Svartpilen and Vitpilen 250 both share their underpinnings with the KTM 250 Duke. They are powered by the same liquid-cooled, 248cc, single-cylinder engine. It produces a maximum power output of 29.6bhp and a peak torque output of 24Nm. Power is sent to the rear wheel via a 6-speed transmission.
Braking is taken care of by sic brakes at both ends while suspension duties are handled by an upside-down fork up front and a monoshock at the rear. In terms of styling, both motorcycles stand out from the crowd.
Svartpilen in Swedish translates to ‘Black Arrow’, hence the Svartpilen 250 is available only in a darker matte black shade. The Svartpilen 250 is basically a neo-retro scrambler with dual-purpose tyres and an upright stance.
The Vitpilen, on the other hand, is a neo-retro cafe racer riding on grippy road-biased tyres and has a sporty stance. In Swedish, it translates into White Arrow and hence is available in just a white shade.
Both motorcycles are being sold via KTM dealerships for now. Husqvarna was also expected to launch the Svartpilen and Vitpilen 401 shortly. Given the situation though, it is safe to say that it has been deferred for a while now. As of now, dealerships are closed and so are production facilities. Hence, we cannot expect an improvement in sales numbers anytime soon.
