- Benelli working on 10 new engines in four different cylinder configurations
- 250cc to 1200cc models in the pipeline
- Will re-introduce the TNT899i which was discontinued
In the coming months, we might see a host of new motorcycles rolling out of Benelli’s stable as the company has revealed that it is working on as many as 10 new engine platforms. In essence, not all of them are ‘new’ as a few of them will be either revived or borrowed from a motorcycle belonging to a different brand.
Starting with the most powerful engine amongst these, the 1000cc, in-line four motor, which was teased sometime back. This teaser had revealed that it’s the same litre-class mill which was utilised in the second generation MV Agusta F4 sportsbike. The reason for this connection is MV Agusta’s recent collaboration with the Qianjiang Group, Benelli’s parent company. Another engine with the four-cylinder configuration is a 650cc unit. This is likely to replace Benelli’s existing 600cc, inline four used for the TNT 600 naked and the SRG600 fully-faired bike.
The company is also working on motorcycles boasting of three-cylinder engine configuration with 900cc and 1200cc displacements. The former will be strapped on to the revived version of the Benelli TNT899i which was discontinued a few years back. Meanwhile, the larger 1200cc triple has already been utilised in the 1200GT touring model which was revealed in China recently.
Coming lower down in cylinder count, Benelli will also have new parallel-twin engines with cubic capacities of 400cc, 700cc and 900cc. These units will be added to the existing series of 300cc, 500cc and 750cc motors. Finally, 250cc, 380cc and 530cc single-cylinder mills are also in the pipeline. The largest of these is going to power the upcoming Imperiale which will be the larger version of the existing 400cc retro offering.
For the Indian market, Benelli has already revealed that it will introduce the BS6-compliant versions of seven models which were present here in BS4 form. However, the upcoming engine platforms make us believe that the company has much more in store for India than the BS6-updated models.
