Photo: BMW
It is yet uncertain if the heat wave that affected Europe during the last weeks has anything to do with the rumors that literally invaded the newsfeeds. Either way, here's the story: BMW is believed to be eyeing delivering a new maxi scooter soon, but powered by a smaller, 300cc-ish engine.
Truth be told, there are sufficient circumstances in favor of such a rumor, with the most important one being, of course, the fact that the Bavarian manufacturer is officially working on a new range of small-displacement bikes which will be manufactured in cooperation with Indian maker TVS.
Even though zie Germans say that BMW and TVS will market the bikes as two different products, this doesn't mean that a scooter based on the same engine is out of the question, possibly as another piece BMW-TVS duality.
Adding more diversity to the same engine platform only increases the lucrative aspect of the whole endeavor. And if the (potential) 300cc two-wheelers will look anything like the C600 Sport or C650GT, they will be a hit. Their price will make them more affordable than the current BMW scooters, and the house of Munich could thus sell more machines in emerging markets.
As Kymco so far supplies the C600/C650 engines, it will be interesting to see who will make the 300cc ones, especially as both TVS and Kymco have extensive expertise in the small displacement segment.
Even though zie Germans say that BMW and TVS will market the bikes as two different products, this doesn't mean that a scooter based on the same engine is out of the question, possibly as another piece BMW-TVS duality.
A common engine for bikes and the small maxi scooters
The small-displacement bikes BMW is engineering for their tie-up with TVS are indeed believed to be in the 300cc class, possibly with a single-cylinder architecture, as insella believes. This engine, mated to an automatic transmission will not be unlike what other makers put in their top scooters, even though some power plants are parallel twins.Adding more diversity to the same engine platform only increases the lucrative aspect of the whole endeavor. And if the (potential) 300cc two-wheelers will look anything like the C600 Sport or C650GT, they will be a hit. Their price will make them more affordable than the current BMW scooters, and the house of Munich could thus sell more machines in emerging markets.
As Kymco so far supplies the C600/C650 engines, it will be interesting to see who will make the 300cc ones, especially as both TVS and Kymco have extensive expertise in the small displacement segment.
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