A top-end model in the product range of Aprilia – one of the most successful brands in world motorcycle racing – is to be assembled in Malaysia as the result of a cooperation agreement between the Piaggio Group and NAZA Premira Sdn Bhd, the sole distributor for Aprilia bikes in Malaysia.
NAZA Premira launched the CKD (Completely Knocked Down) edition of the Aprilia Shiver 750 this morning, as it also announced that it would soon begin local assembly of the model at the NAZA manufacturing facility in Shah Alam in early 2015.
Malaysia will be the first country in which Aprilia has Shiver 750 assembly operations outside of Italy, however these units shall only be made available to the Malaysian market at this point in time. The assembly of the motorcycles will be carried out by NAZA Bikes Sdn Bhd whilst the distribution will be managed by NAZA Premira.
NAZA Premira is optimistic of the market response towards the Aprilia Shiver 750 CKD Edition and estimated to sell at least 600 units in 2015. In fact, the facility in Shah Alam is capable of producing 1,200 units in the initial year of operation. NAZA Premira is looking to expand the production capacity in between 3,000 to 5,000 units in the long run if it needs to cater to the ASEAN region.
To date, NAZA Premira has been importing completely built Aprilia motorcycles from the Company’s final assembly plant in Italy. At the start of the New Year, NAZA will begin assembly operations for the Shiver 750 CKD edition whilst other models will continue to be imported as completely built motorcycles for now.
A total of RM5 million is being invested in the development of the Shiver 750 CKD assembly operations and a further RM1 million is being devoted to parts inventory.
“We are proud and greatly honored to be the first and only company chosen to begin CKD assembly for Aprilia outside Italy and hope to become the centrum for export around the ASEAN region in the coming months. This is a momentous occasion for us and proves our commitment to successfully representing this global brand. It is also a mark of the effort we make towards developing high performance motorcycle manufacturing and assembly operations, whilst simultaneously training local Malaysians and promoting foreign direct investment” said Datuk Wira Haji SM Faisal Tan Sri SM Nasimuddin, Group Executive Chairman & Group CEO, NAZA World Group of Companies.
Mr. Simone Niccolai, Managing Director of Piaggio Asia Pacific Ltd., said, “The initiative announced today is an important new step in the Piaggio Group strategy to continue expanding its operations in Asia and in the ASEAN area in particular, where we are already successful players with the Vespa and Piaggio scooters. As we prepare for greater growth throughout ASEAN with the introduction of the Group’s motorcycles, we are looking at setting up a regional hub for the Aprilia brand in Malaysia. In doing so, we are working closely with NAZA and the Malaysian government. Proper training on the procedures of assembling the Shiver 750 has been conducted to ensure the high quality is maintained and mirrors that of the CBU models assembled in our Italy plant.”
Aprilia Malaysia will focus on building and expanding the dealership network and enhancing the after-sales services to further solidify the brand’s local presence to create easy accessibility for Aprilia’s growing customer base. By end of 2015, Aprilia will have a total of 9 dealership network throughout the Peninsular Malaysia, before expanding its presence in East Malaysia.
The Aprilia Shiver 750 is priced at RM43,888 (Nett Selling Price) with 2 years manufacturer warranty.
