When compared to 150cc to 160cc Apache, Pulsar, FZ, Gixxer and MT offerings, Honda X-Blade didn’t achieve the sales prospect to stay afloat
With the likes of Activa and Dio, Honda has been India’s 2nd best-selling 2W brand. However, Honda’s volumes are primarily from their scooters and budget commuters. Where 160cc premium motorcycles are concerned, Honda offered X-Blade, which has been now delisted from the official website. Let’s take a look.
Honda X-Blade Discontinued?
In India, the premium 150cc to 160cc motorcycle market is quite competitive. It has contenders like Pulsar NS160 and N160 from Bajaj, Apache RTR 160 2V and Apache RTR 160 4V, FZ, FZ-X and MT-15 from Yamaha, Gixxer 150 and Gixxer SF 150 from Suzuki, Xtreme 160R 2V and Xtreme 160R 4V from Hero and the likes.
Honda X-Blade offered sharp styling and edgy design language, which should have been an instant hit with young audience. However, X-Blade couldn’t make a significant impact on the Indian market as Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India would have hoped.
After recording unimpressive sales for a long time, Honda India seems to have discontinued it. The motorcycle is delisted from Honda’s official website for Indian market. This could either be a sign of discontinuation or a temporary thing.
The possibility of it being discontinued is higher, considering its sales performance over the months. If this is not a temporary thing and the delisting on the website is a permanent discontinuation, there will be hefty discounts on existing X-Blade units in the dealer’s stock.
Honda 2W dealerships will continue to sell X-Blade motorcycles until stocks last. There were four exciting colours on sale – Matte Marvel Blue Metallic, Matte Steel Black Metallic, Strontium Silver Metallic and Sports Red. Within Honda’s lineup, there are other 160cc offerings like Unicorn 160 and SP160, both of which are not positioned at a premium level as X-Blade.
What did it offer?
Honda X-Blade came with a 162.71cc single-cylinder air cooled petrol engine with 13.67 bhp of peak power and 14.7 Nm of peak torque, mated to a 5-speed gearbox. Honda X-Blade offered a Robo-faced LED headlight setup, Razor edged tail light setup, and a fully digital instrument cluster featuring gear positioning indicator.
RSU telescopic front forks, rear mono-shock unit, front and rear disc (petal disc) brake option with single-channel ABS, 130-section rear tyre wrapped on 17-inch alloy wheel, engine stop/start switch, hazard light and a dual-nozzle exhaust canister. With X-Blade out of the picture, it is yet to be confirmed whether Honda will announce a replacement or completely forfeit the premium 160cc segment.
Source: Bike - rushlane.com
