Ducati India opens DesertX V2 bookings, confirms launch by Q4 2026

Bookings open, price still not final

Ducati India has opened bookings for the DesertX V2 through its official channels, ahead of what the brand has confirmed will be an India launch by Q4 2026. This is the first firm commitment from Ducati on timing for the bike in India. The company has not yet announced an exact launch date or a final ex-showroom price, Autocar India and BikeWale both note in their reports on the bookings opening this week.

Autocar India's own page for the DesertX V2 lists an expected price of ₹19 lakh to ₹22 lakh and a November 2026 launch window, figures the brand itself has not confirmed yet. For contrast, the outgoing DesertX with its 937cc engine currently costs ₹19.59 lakh for the base variant and ₹25.34 lakh for the top Rally trim in India, according to 91wheels pricing data. So the new bike's floor price, even on an unconfirmed estimate, sits close to where the old base model already starts.

From a European test mule to the EICMA stage

The first sign of this generation of DesertX came from spy shots, not a Ducati press release. Germany's Motorrad & Reisen published images of a disguised test mule in 2025, and MotorBeam's report on those shots, dated October 6, flagged the giveaway: a new engine casing where the old Testastretta unit used to sit. At the time, the switch to an 890cc V2, the same family of engine found in the Multistrada V2, was still a reasonable guess based on bodywork, not a confirmed spec.

That guess has now been proven right. Ducati revealed the production DesertX V2 at EICMA 2026 in Milan, which ran November 3 and 4 for press and trade before opening to the public from November 5 to 8. The reveal, covered by Autocar India, confirmed the 890cc, 90 degree V2 engine making 110hp and 92Nm, a figure that happens to match the outgoing 937cc Testastretta almost exactly. What has changed is the frame. Ducati has dropped the old trellis design for an aluminium monocoque that uses the engine itself as a stressed member, a shift EICMA's own show notes describe as central to the redesign.

What the spy shots missed

The test mule sightings never showed the full story. They flagged the engine swap correctly but said nothing about the new bodywork or weight changes that only became clear at the reveal. Ducati now claims a wet weight without fuel of 209kg, a kilogram lighter than before, with wheel travel of 220mm at the rear and a seat height of 880mm that can be lowered by 40mm with an accessory kit. Wheel sizes stay at 21 inches front and 18 inches rear, keeping the off-road intent intact.

For Indian buyers, the practical takeaway is simple. The bike is coming, Ducati has said so on record, and the timing is Q4 2026. Everything on price remains an estimate until Ducati India puts out an official number, so anyone booking now is doing so without knowing the final figure.

Sources