Shahrukh Khan Handed over First KTM Duke 390; Deliveries Starting From September

In an event organized in Pune, Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan handed over keys to the first five KTM Duke 390 owners. Shahrukh Khan told that he is a big KTM fan and occasionally rides his KTM Duke 200, which was gifted to him by Rajiv Bajaj on his birthday. However, Shahrukh clarified that he is not the brand ambassador of the brand, and he attended the event because of his love for the KTM bikes. Rajiv Bajaj also said that appointing film stars and cricketers won't work well in the case of two-wheelers, some of his competitors are using the strategy, but it doesn't seem work well.

The another big news from the event is that Bajaj will commence the domestic delivery of the KTM 390 Duke by the end of September. Amit Nandi, Vice President, Bajaj Auto (Pro-Biking) said that currently there is 90-day waiting period for the KTM 390, and so far the company has received 1,500 bookings since its launch.

Bajaj holds nearly 48 per cent stake in KTM of Austria and Bajaj is responsible for KTM's Indian operations. Bajaj is already manufacturing three KTM bikes here including the Duke 125, Duke 200 and Duke 390. The JV plans to produce 2 lakh units of the Duke 390 by 2017, of which one lakh will be rolled out from the Chakan plant and the rest from the Austrian facility. The Duke 390 also conceived, designed and developed at the Chakan plant.

KTM sold 1.07 lakh bikes last year globally. Mr. Nandi added that all the KTM 390 bikes produced so far have been shipped to KTM headquarters in Austria, from where they will go to dealers. The company exports around 25,000-30,000 KTM bikes annually from the Chakan plant to the US and European markets.