Benelli Imperiale 530 Under Development, Here’s Why It’s Unlikely To Come To India

The motorcycle is slated for a July launch in China this year

• The brand recently organised a press conference in China.
• At the conference, it revealed its plans to launch multiple motorcycles apart from the bigger-engined Imperiale.
• Expect Benelli to use a rebored version of the current 374cc single-cylinder air-cooled motor.

At a recent press conference in China, Benelli revealed its plans to launch multiple motorcycles, including Imperiale 530, this year. The retro motorcycle is slated for launch in the country in July this year. 

The motorcycle will slot above the Imperiale 400 and will be the flagship model under the Imperiale family. It is unlikely that Benelli will use a completely new engine developed from the ground up. Instead, expect the brand to use a rebored version of the existing 373cc air-cooled, fuel-injected motor. In its current guise, the engine produces 21PS at 5500rpm and 29Nm at 4500rpm. Like the Imperiale 400, the upcoming bigger-engined motorcycle might also offer a greater emphasis on torque rather than outright power. 

As far as looks are concerned, Benelli could retain the same design language as the Imperiale 400, perhaps with subtle tweaks in the bodywork and a different colour scheme to differentiate from its smaller sibling. Underpinnings are also expected to be the same telescopic front fork and twin rear shock absorber setup. Expect the braking hardware to remain the same too (300mm front and 240mm rear disc with dual-channel ABS).

All said and done, the Imperiale 530 is unlikely to come to India. That’s because if Benelli tries to bring the bike via the CKD route, as it does with the rest of its portfolio in India, its price might end up being too close to the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650, which starts from Rs 2.56 lakh (ex-showroom). 

And it’s quite hard to match up to Interceptor’s staggering value for money as it offers a much bigger engine and more importantly, with a parallel-twin configuration. The Interceptor 650 also enjoys greater brand presence and it wouldn’t make business sense for Benelli to bring out a classic motorcycle anywhere near the ballpark pricing of the Interceptor 650.