The Hero MotoCorp Splendor has outrun the Honda Activa for the second consecutive month to become India’s highest selling two-wheeler. The Hero Splendor registered sales of 2,68,377 units in October 2018 while the Honda Activa clocked 2,62,260 units.
Also read: Hero XPulse 200 & XPulse 200T spied testing for the first time
Regarding year-on-year sales performance, the Splendor witnessed a 24 per cent jump against October 2017 (2,15,631 vs 2,68,377). The Honda Activa, on the other hand, registered a one per cent growth against the corresponding month last year (2,59,071 vs 2,62,260).
Could the festive season bring back the Honda Activa to leadership? Stay tuned for the November sales figures.
Hero MotoCorp registered 7,16,059 units in total in October 2018. It's the fourth time that the two-wheeler brand has crossed the seven lakh sales mark in the current fiscal. Apart from the Splendor, the top-selling Hero MotoCorp products were the HF Deluxe (2,00,312 units), Passion (84,870) and the Glamour (80,627). Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India took the second spot with cumulative sales of 4,90,135 units in the same month. Its top-sellers were Activa (2,62,260), CB Shine (91,319) and the Dio (43,860).
While leading the motorcycle market, Hero MotoCorp also aims to grab a share of the scooter segment that is currently lead by the Honda Activa. As part of the strategy, the company launched the Destini 125 scooter on October 22 at a price tag of INR 54,650 for the Lx variant and INR 57,500 for the Vx variant (both ex-showroom, Delhi). The Scooter managed to register sales of 5,556 units in October.
Regular readers would know that Hero MotoCorp plans to take on Honda by expanding its scooter portfolio to six models in 8-12 months. India’s largest two-wheeler brand will launch the new Maestro Edge 125 by the end of 2018 or early 2019. The Maestro Edge 125 will be targeted at the younger audience, and thus it would feature sharp styling as compared to the Destini 125. The mechanical specifications, however, is similar to both the scooters.
Both models benefit from Hero’s proprietary i3S (Idle Stop-Start System) technology for better fuel efficiency. The 124.6 cc, air-cooled, single-cylinder, Energy Boost engine delivers a maximum power of 8.70 bhp at 6,750 rpm and 10.2 Nm of peak torque at 5,000 rpm.
Hero MotoCorp also plans to launch four bikes in the 200-300cc segment. The new Xtreme 200R has already been launched in India while the brand is preparing to introduce the Xpulse 200 and the XPulse 200T by early 2019.
