From Italy to China, and now India

Dante Bustos believes Benelli is in the right place with the right people and at the right time. People, he adds, eventually make the difference by the end of the day along with the Italian brand’s own strength in offering an affordable price mix along with design and performance.

“We are well positioned in the two-cylinder engine and started off with the 300 cc engine. The time has now come with the second generation two-cylinder engine with better technology, performance and cost efficiencies,” says Bustos.

Going forward, Benelli will have in its kitty the 500 cc and 750 cc twin-cylinder engine, which is compact, light and a lot of fun. “We are coming with a full range of new technology engines in two steps starting with the 500 cc and 750 cc and then perhaps later with two/three spark plugs for the 150 cc-250 cc engine,” he says.

Benelli, which is owned by the Qjian Jiang (QJ) group, has 500 engineers in its China facility, which is “one of the most sophisticated” engine factories globally. It is clearly inconceivable to think of producing any engine in Italy as it is almost impossible to make if affordable.

“We take the best resources in terms of know-how and technology from Italy and manufacture in China which is the most sophisticated engine factory in Asia,” says Bustos. Benelli also has assembly operations in Argentina, Iran, Malaysia and “trying to localise” in Thailand. India is the next big thing and the key is to work out a successful business model in manufacturing. “Benelli is important for QJ with China being the most important market followed by Italy. We are looking for more joint ventures overseas so long as it is viable in terms of economics and viability. If the markets are too small with stiff regulations, it is obviously not worth it,” explains Bustos.

Eventually, India will take a large role and could even become Benelli’s top market in some years if things go according to plan. As he says, the first thing to do is to concentrate on what the company knows best in the two-cylinder engine segment.

Later, it could look at other mobility options like bicycles where the customer base is completely different. “Motorcycles and bicycles cannot be retailed jointly and we need to focus on our efficiency. We are not worried about being number one or two but want to be competitive and do well in India,” says Bustos.

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