Benelli and Keeway brands of motorcycles are now available in Malaysia. Its sole distributor in Malaysia, Benelli Keeway Motorcycles Sdn Bhd made its debut at the official opening of its RM 10 million (US$ 3,164,600) factory in Bukit Beruntung, Selangor last Thursday.

Minister of International Trade and Industry Malaysia, Dato' Sri Mustapa Mohamad who officiated the opening of Benelli South East Asia Hub also witnessed the launch of several introductory motorcycle models.

Also present at the event was On Hai Swee, Chief Executive Officer of Benelli Keeway Motorcycles Sdn Bhd, Italian Ambassador His Excellency Folco de Luca Gabrielli and General Manager of Qianjiang Motorcycle Zhou Xiping.

Benelli is one of the oldest Italian motorcycle manufacturers established in 1911. Now part of Qianjiang Group. Benelli Q.J. is still located in Pesaro, retaining workforce previously working at Benelli s.p.a.

Keeway is a global Chinese motorcycle brand manufactured by Qianjiang Group. Located at Wenling, southeast China , Qianjiang produces motorcycles, scooters, ATVs and motorcycle safety equipment.

The company was actually established in the EU back in 1999, and is now present in many European countries directly or through subsidiaries in North and South America, Asia and Africa.

Launched at the event were the motard-like Keeway TX200G priced at RM 6,999.00, sports Keeway RKV200G with a tag of RM 7,299, the Keeway Dorado 250 cruiser at RM 11,999.00, the Benelli Tornado Naked Tre (TNT) 899 pried at RM 61,999.00 and the Benelli TRE1130K as their premier model at RM 69,999.00.

At the moment, all parts are imported with the eventual development of local content manufacturing. Benelli Keeway Motorcycles plans to assemble and sell 500 units of motorcycle monthly initially for local consumption, with export plans in the pipeline.

The bikes come with a one-year or 10,000km warranty. Of importance is the assurance of their Bike Assist programme which would be a lifeline for owners in the event of a breakdown.

Starting out in the Klang Valley with a flagship store in the near future and about 80 dealers, their dealership and service network would be expanded nationwide to cater for their customers' needs.