Ducati opens dealership in Pune, its fifth in India

Ducati India has inaugurated its first dealership in Pune today which becomes its fifth dealership in India. The newly formed company, the Indian arm of the Italian superbike manufacturer,  currently has dealerships in Gurgaon, Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.

Company officials say that their all-new Pune dealership, owned by the popular Bavaria Motors who also sell BMW passenger cars in the city, will offer the entire range of Ducati motorcycles available for sale in India. The showroom, which is spread across 4,500 square feet, also houses a state-of-the-art service facility.

Talking to Autocar Professional on the sidelines of the dealership opening ceremony, Ravi Avalur, managing director, Ducati India, said: "Our priority is to set up dealerships across India along with fully equipped service facilities. We plan to open another two dealerships later this year. We are yet to zero down on the two locations for the same. We are evaluating the priority markets based on demand for our motorcycles."

Avalur handed over three Ducati motorcycles to its first three customers during the event today. A Diavel, Monster and Scrambler were the first three Ducati models sold from the Pune store today.

"We are delighted to partner Ducati and bring the iconic brand to a region so passionate about motorcycles. Even before we started operations, we have been overwhelmed with inquiries," said Vishal Agarwal, managing director, Bavaria Motors.

Hike in Maharashtra road tax hits CBUs 
The Maharashtra Budget is understood to have proposed a hike in the road tax structure for motorcycles recently. While this is yet to be passed, the buyers of expensive, large displacement motorcycles will bear the brunt. While the proposed hike is on motorcycles across the segment, people in the know of this development at Ducati dealership say that the existing rate road tax of 10 percent that implies on models above 300cc and CBUs will now be doubled.

“A 20 percent road tax on CBUs will obviously make customers feel the pinch. The Scrambler, which is priced at Rs 6.83 lakh (ex-showroom Pune), currently sees a road tax of Rs 47,810. After the hike, this could go up to Rs 1.36 lakh," said Agarwal.