We were the first to break the story about Aprilia working on a new made-in-India small-capacity sportbike. That new machine finally broke cover back in September, carrying the RS 457 nametag. Now, pricing for the Ninja 400 rival has been announced in the US market, which also gives us an idea of how much the RS 457 will cost once it goes on sale here in India.
US pricing for the new Aprilia RS 457 starts at $6799 (Rs 5.66 lakh) for the Prismatic Dark and Opalescent Light color schemes, while the Racing Stripes version comes in at $6899 (Rs 5.75 lakh). At first glance, these numbers seem quite steep for a sub-500cc parallel-twin motorcycle, even if it is carrying the premium and exotic Aprilia badge.
However, it’s important to note that the RS 457 is being manufactured right here in India, at Aprilia’s Baramati plant, outside Pune. As a result, it will be considerably more affordable in our market than it is in the US. This is a very similar situation to the KTM RC 390, which is also built by Bajaj in Chakan just outside Pune, and then exported all over the world.
In an apples to apples comparison, the RC 390 costs Rs 3.18 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) here in our home market, but $6474 (Rs 5.39 lakh) in the US. This makes the Aprilia just $325 (approx. Rs 27,000) more expensive than the KTM, despite the fact that it packs in more displacement, an extra-cylinder and arguably a more exotic badge.
All this bodes quite well when it comes to pricing for the RS 457 in India. Yes, it will almost certainly carry a premium over the RC 390, due to the aforementioned factors. But the signs so far suggest that it should not be a very large premium, although what Aprilia eventually decides to do remains to be seen.