As we’ve discussed numerous times in the past, India is by far the biggest motorcycle market in the world. In 2022 alone, the Asian country saw in excess of 15 million brand new motorcycles roll off showroom floors. Indeed, all it takes is one look at the Indian landscape, and you’ll be quick to realize that motorcycles are an integral part of Indian mobility.
While the landscape in terms of the model selection in the Indian market is vastly different from that in the west, the market is ruled by companies we’re all familiar with. Indeed, Japanese manufacturers like Honda, Yamaha, and Suzuki are popular in the mass market segment. However, interestingly, BMW has been making big strides in India thanks to its G 310 model range.
For those of you unaware, the BMW G 310 isn’t exactly a BMW, but rather, a rebadged TVS. TVS is one of the more dominant Indian manufacturers, and one of the many Asian manufacturers with close ties to European manufacturers. In the case of the G 310, BMW had commissioned TVS to develop and manufacture the bikes. They were then dressed up in BMW bodywork and emblazoned with the roundel and sold in the global market.
Needless to say, the BMW G 310, spread across the R, RR, and GS models, are the most accessible motorcycles to bear the BMW badge, so much so that they serve as strong aspirational products in BMW’s catalog, not just in India, but the rest of the world. Now, if we fix our gaze on the Indian market, the BMW G 310 range accounted for a whopping 90 percent of BMW Motorrad India’s sales.
For the first half of 2023, BMW Motorrad India sold a total of 4,667 units, of which 90 percent were G 310 models. This garnered the Indian arm of the German motorcycle manufacturer a staggering 50-percent sales growth versus the same period of 2022.
For the record, the BMW G 310 packs pretty basic tech, which is one of the main reasons as to why it’s so accessible. Its performance is respectable for its displacement class, with its 313cc, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, single-cylinder engine spitting out 34 horsepower and about 20 pound-feet of torque. As the names suggest, the G 310 R is the naked streetfighter model, while the G 310 GS is the smaller sibling of the bigger ADVs in BMW’s repertoire. The latest and sportiest model is the G 310 RR, which carries sportbike styling inspired by the mighty S 1000 RR.
