The Aprilia RS 457 may not have been a runaway success but it is a good product, with a near decent price tag and solid performance to boot. It was just a matter of time before Aprilia decided to use that 457 cc parallel-twin engine platform on other body styles too. And that is exactly what they did. There is an Aprilia Tuareg 457, a rally-spec version that exists, and the production, road-legal version of the same is expected to be in the works as well. The Tuareg 457 rally will participate in the Africa Eco Race in December 2024.
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The rally version of the Tuareg 457 seen in the photos makes 55 bhp at 10,000 rpm from its parallel-twin engine and has a dry weight of 160 kg. The production Tuareg 457 is said to make 47 bhp at 9,400 rpm, similar to what the RS 457 makes. The rally Tuareg 457 has a top speed in excess of 170 kmph. The steel frame and the Aluminium swingarm is taken from the bigger Tuareg 660, which is on sale in India at a price of Rs. 19 lakh (ex-showroom).
Now, the Aprilia RS 457 supersport is on sale in India at a price of Rs. 4.10 lakh and is assembled in India at Piaggio's plant in Baramati, Maharashtra. Does this mean that the 457 cc ADV will be assembled in India? We definitely hope so. Not only will it make business sense but also keep costs in check, something that Aprilia is infamous for.
If and when the Aprilia Tuareg 457 is launched in India, it will go up against the likes of the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 and the new-gen KTM 390 Adventure, which is likely to go on sale in India before the Tuareg 457 does. But the Tuareg 457 will be the only sub 500 cc ADV to have a parallel-twin powerplant. We expect Aprilia to showcase at least a prototype of the Tuareg 457 at the 2024 EICMA Motorcycle Show.
Source: Motomag.gr