February 2020 has turned out to be a disappointing month for top motorcycle brands, as most of them have registered negative YoY growth
The only exception is Royal Enfield Classic 350 that has registered positive growth of 10.31%. In terms of volumes, Hero Splendor continues to lead the pack with sales of 2,15,196 units. This translates into YoY loss of -11.89%, as against 2,44,241 units sold in February last year.
Hero MotoCorp has updated its portfolio to BS6 standards and Splendor is among the bikes that have received this update. At second spot in the top ten bestselling motorcycles list is Hero HF Deluxe with sales of 1,75,997 units. YoY growth is negative at -4.55%, as against 1,84,396 units sold in February last year.
Hero HF Deluxe has also been upgraded to BS6, which now retails at Rs 55,925. At number three is Bajaj Pulsar with sales of 75,669 units. Pulsar YoY sales have fallen -10.08%, as against 84,151 units sold in February last year.
Bajaj Pulsar range is quite popular in the Indian market as well as abroad and the brand has delivered consistent results for the company. Some bikes in Pulsar range such as Pulsar 180, 220, NS200 and RS200 are yet to receive BS6 upgrade.
| No | Motorcycles | Feb-20 | Feb-19 | Diff | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hero Splendor | 2,15,196 | 2,44,241 | -29,045 | -11.89 |
| 2 | Hero HF Deluxe | 1,75,997 | 1,84,396 | -8,399 | -4.55 |
| 3 | Bajaj Pulsar | 75,669 | 84,151 | -8,482 | -10.08 |
| 4 | Honda CB Shine | 50,825 | 86,355 | -35,530 | -41.14 |
| 5 | RE Classic 350 | 41,766 | 37,862 | 3,904 | 10.31 |
| 6 | Hero Glamour | 35,752 | 46,083 | -10,331 | -22.42 |
| 7 | Hero Passion | 34,797 | 67,374 | -32,577 | -48.35 |
| 8 | Bajaj Platina | 33,799 | 53,044 | -19,245 | -36.28 |
| 9 | TVS Apache | 32,033 | 35,358 | -3,325 | -9.40 |
| 10 | Bajaj CT100 | 27,242 | 37,346 | -10,104 | -27.06 |
| – | Total | 7,23,076 | 8,76,210 | -1,53,134 | -17.48 |
At number four is Honda CB Shine with sales of 50,825 units. CB Shine sales have dropped dramatically by -41.145, as against 86,355 units sold in February last year. It may be recalled that Honda had launched BS6 CB Shine in February at a price of Rs 67,857. RE Classic 350 takes the fifth place with sales of 41,766 units in February 2020.
Other motorcycles in the top 10 list include Hero Glamour (35,752), Hero Passion (34,797), Bajaj Platina (33,799), TVS Apache (32,033), and Bajaj CT100 (27,242). All the bottom five in top ten list have negative YoY growth, with maximum fall registered by Hero Passion. Passion sales have almost halved, from 67,374 units in February last year to 34,797 units in February 2020. Platina has lost more than one-third of its sales, from 53,044 units to 33,799 units.
While OEMs and dealerships were hoping that customers will rush to buy heavily discounted BS4 models, things don’t seem to have worked out that way. Industry experts say that many customers have deferred their purchase decision to March end, in expectations that even better deals will be available at that time.
However, that is unlikely to happen, as the entire country and the world is currently facing a lockdown type situation due to coronavirus. Consumer sentiments have turned negative, which is likely to adversely impact sales of motorcycles in the coming months.
