FIRST RIDE
P90
BENELLI BN600 EVO
CHINA'S
FIRST FOUR
It's a Benelli designed and
engineered in both Italy and China,
then produced in China
BY ALAN CATHCART
PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEL EDGE
T
he global debut of the
Benelli BN600, manufactured in China by the
historic Italian marque's owner Qianjiang (pronounced
"Chin-jung," but called simply
QJ by all its staff), has finally
kicked off the long-awaited
revival of Italy's oldest motorcycle company that celebrated its 100th birthday in 2011.
But as the first-ever four-cylinder bike made in China, albeit
designed and developed in Italy, it marks a significant landmark in the evolution of the
Chinese motorcycle industry,
and is certain to be the forerunner of an increasingly irresistible attack on Western
markets by manufacturers
from the People's Republic.
Since purchasing Benelli
in December 2005, QJ's ambitious plans to relaunch the
brand had stalled in the face
of uncertainty caused by the
global economic downturn.
But the ongoing slump in
the Chinese home market,
caused by the ban on any nonelectric motorcycle being ridden in all but one of China's
167 largest cities, saw QJ's
5500 employees build
"just" 800,000 motorcycles and scooters last
year. This represents
a significant drop
from the 1.5 million
units produced three
years ago by its
then 8000-strong
workforce.
And,
like many of its Chinese rivals, it's caused QJ
to pay increased attention to
export sales - an area where
many of them are struggling to compete against the
single-cylinder products of
Indian manufacturers, which
are more closely focused on
quality than their Chinese rivals, while still sharply priced.
The Benelli BN600 is
the first four-cylinder
motorcycle to be
manufactured in China.
But its design is a
collaboration between
the Chinese and the
Italians.
