Honda currently has products in most engine capacities and also segments, and is pushing sales envelope further
Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India (HMSI) is currently the second highest-selling 2W manufacturer in India. But in the month of August, Honda pushed on and in a nail-biting fight with Hero for the top spot in overall sales (domestic + exports), Honda just fell short by 85 units only. Just 85 units!
Honda sold 4,23,216 units domestically in the month of August while Hero sold 4,50,740 units in the same time. But Honda exported 39,307 units while Hero only exported 11,868 units. When added up, Hero sold 4,62,608 units while Honda sold 4,62,523 units. Just 85 units short which is commendable. Good luck next time champ.
Honda Upcoming Bikes
According to reports, Honda is expected to launch 3 new products in the Indian market to close the gap on Hero even more domestically. Those three products are said to fall in 125cc scooter segment, 160cc segment and the 300cc to 350cc segment.
If we look at the 150cc to 200cc bikes segment, Honda doesn’t have a trendy name to rely on. Bajaj has the ever-expanding Pulsar brand, TVS has Apache brand and Yamaha has FZ brand. These brands have massive cult following which Honda’s Unicorn and Hornet have not been able to spawn.
But looking at recent sales trends, Unicorn 160 sold 11,203 units in July 2022 while it only sold 1,906 units on June 2022. Hornet 2.0 sold 1,240 units in July 2022 while it only sold 79 units in June 2022. There is a huge potential in the 160cc – 180cc space which rivals like Bajaj and TVS are making use of. When launched, it will take on Pulsar N160, Apache RTR 160 4V and the likes.
But when it comes to scooters, Honda is the undisputed champion. With heavy lifters like Activa brand in its bag, there is no real threat for Honda’s scooters. But to keep the winning streak going, Honda seems to be launching a 125cc scooter. We hope it is a maxi-styled scooter though as that is the one segment Honda has still not ventured into.
300cc – 350cc Bikes
In 200cc to 500cc category, there is no beating Royal Enfield. In July 2022, Royal Enfield alone took the first five spots with 48,840 units combined. With the launch of Hunter 350, sales numbers are likely to go off the roof. But at the same time, Honda only sold 2,120 units in that month contributed by CB350.
Honda recently launched CB300F and going by Honda’s previous launches, we can expect a CB300X ADV based on it. This would take on BMW G 310 GS, KTM 390 Adventure and the likes. Honda has also trademarked the name Brigade which is believed to be a special edition of CB350.
Together, in the coming year, Honda is expected to launch at least 3 products to push sales envelopes further. Even though Honda scooters are fantastic for sales charts, motorcycles are not compelling when compared to rivals in terms of pricing strategies. With better pricing, Honda can definitely take on Hero in terms of overall sales.
