Next Bike Sdn Bhd (Ducati Malaysia) polished off a sensational week of product launches and celebrated the Malaysian MotoGP weekend with the introduction of the Ducati 899 Panigale at the Welcome Centre in Sepang International Circuit on Saturday.
Ducati MotoGP team rider, Andrea Dovizioso, unveiled the highly anticipated model, which joins the recently launched Diavel Strada, Diavel Stripe, Hypermotard and Hyperstrada in Ducati’s 2013 product line-up brought to Malaysia by Next Bike Sdn Bhd. This is the first official launch of the Ducati 899 Panigale in Asia, with the bike flown directly to Malaysia following its global introduction last month.
Ducati’s history in motorsport and commitment to further enhancing the Panigale concept both on the track and on the street led to the development of a ‘Supermid’ version of the brand’s larger-engined 1199 Panigale, offering connoisseur’s entry into the exclusive world of premium performance. The 899 Panigale is essentially designed to give riders the best of both worlds by providing the thrill of the new generation flagship model with the refinement of an everyday streetbike.
The innovative monocoque chassis concept and powerful new 899 ‘Superquadro’ L-Twin engine achieves the perfect balance of drive and fluidity, delivering an impressive 148hp of authentic Italian performance.
At just the click of the button, Ducati’s Riding Mode delivers performance with enhanced rider confidence by combining numerous class-leading technologies. The latest generation sports ABS system, Ducati Traction Control (DTC), Ducati Electronic Suspension (DES), Ducati Quick-Shift (DQS), Ducati’s new race-derived Engine Brake Control (EBC) and Ride-by-Wire (RbW) are now all programmed into seamless, electronic rider assistance.
In testament to the quality of Ducati’s Thailand operations, Ducati Malaysia has decided to bring in the 899 Panigale from the Thailand factory in mid-2014. The Ducati 899 Panigale is expected to capture the market share of the Superbike segment in Malaysia and is being introduced at an exclusive price of RM 108,888 for the early deliveries directly from Bologna, Italy.
Ducati Malaysia has seen significant growth of the business over the past 3 years and is recording double-digit growth year on year. Next Bike Sdn Bhd’s commitment to setting up a strong foundation for the brand in Malaysia, with investments of more than RM1 million per network, was acknowledged by Ducati when it recently awarded Ducati Malaysia the title of ‘Best Ducati Network Development’ for the Asia Pacific region.
“Recognized as Malaysia’s Number 1 premium bike brand of 2012 and awarded for the Best Ducati Network Development in the Asia Pacific region, Ducati Malaysia has proven its dedication and remains committed to investing in the Ducati brand and lifestyle to ensure further growth and create greater value of ownership. As such, we will be opening 6 fully compliant 4S centres in the remainder of 2013 and more in 2014 in order to better serve our customers,” stated Datuk Wira SM Faisal Tan Sri SM Nasimuddin, Joint Group Executive Chairman, NAZA Group of Companies.
