Aurelia Butler

Image – Siddharth Suzuki
December 2020 turned out to be a mixed bag for Suzuki Motorcycle India, as YoY growth is positive whereas MoM growth is negative

A total of 44,756 units were sold in the domestic market in December 2020, which is YoY growth of 0.99%. Sales during the corresponding period in 2019 stood at 44,318 units. MoM sales are down -22.05%, as compared to 57,417 units sold in November 2020.
In exports, Suzuki has negative YoY growth and positive MoM growth. A total of 6,946 units were exported in December 2020, which is YoY de-growth of -12.99%. Exports during December 2019 stood at 7,983 units. MoM numbers are up 2.22%, as compared to 6,795 units exported in November 2020.
Access leads in domestic market
Access has consistently ranked among the top ten bestselling two-wheelers in the country. It is the company’s primary volume generator in the domestic market. A total of 40,154 units were sold in December 2020. YoY sales are up by 7.09%, as compared to 37,495 units sold in December 2019.
In numbers, Access contributed close to 90% of the company’s domestic sales in December 2020. However, MoM sales are down by -11.91%, as compared to 45,582 units sold in November 2020.
Suzuki Domestic Sales Dec 2020
At number two is Burgman with 2,666 units sold in December 2020. The scooter has lost almost half its sales, as compared to 5,188 units sold in December 2019. MoM sales are also down by -70.63%, as compared to 9,078 units sold in November 2020. Burgman’s percentage share in the pie was 5.96% in December 2020.
Gixxer takes the third spot with 1,651 units sold in December 2020. YoY sales have improved by 17.68%, as compared to 1,403 units sold in December 2019. Percentage share stands at 3.69%. MoM sales have declined by -23.03%, as compared to 2,145 units sold in November 2020.
At number four is Gixxer 250 with 224 units sold in December 2020. Both YoY and MoM growth are negative at -3.45% and -47.54%, respectively. Next is Intruder with 61 units sold in December 2020. MoM growth is down by -67.03%, as compared to 185 units sold in November 2020.
Suzuki Exports Dec 2020
Suzuki two-wheeler exports – December 2020
In overseas markets, Gixxer takes the lead with 3,326 units exported in December 2020. YoY numbers are down by -32.86%, as compared to 4,954 units exported in the corresponding period in 2019. MoM numbers are also down at -27.25%, as compared to 4,572 units exported in November 2020.
At number two and three in the list are Burgman and Gixxer 250, both of which have positive YoY growth in December 2020. Respective export numbers are 1,890 and 1,046 units, which is YoY growth of 61.26% and 1075.28%. Both also have positive MoM growth at 269.14% and 125.92%, respectively.
Other bikes in the list include Hayate (480 units), Lets (96) Intruder (96) and Access (12). Excluding Access, all have negative YoY growth. In MoM terms, Intruder has positive growth, whereas Hayate and Lets have negative growth. More

Bajaj Chetak Electric Scooter
The fear of use of public transport fuels surge in the two wheeler sales and more impetus has been shown in the electric scooter segment

Even as the two wheeler segment has been noting positive sales over the past few months, the demand for electric two wheelers draws particular attention. In 2020 calendar year, a period which many have viewed with much frustration on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, two wheeler sales have soared.
The electric two wheelers have been more in demand, especially considering the many benefits that it offers. When talking about the past year, there were around 27,260 electric two wheelers registered in the country.
Hero Electric Commands 30.3% Market Share
Hero Electric is India’s largest electric two wheeler manufacturer for 2020 with a market share of 30.3 percent and sales of 8,252 units. The automaker currently has 13 lithium-ion scooters in its portfolio and has recently announced a 5 year warranty across all models purchased between 1st Jan and 31st March 2021 which could boost sales even further.
Okinawa was the second highest seller of electric bikes in India. Currently commanding a 20.5 percent market share, the company sold 5,601 units in the past year. The company has just launched the new Dual electric scooter in India priced at Rs.59k. It is primarily for B2B operations and can even be used for personal use with a range of 130 km on a single charge.
Electric Two Wheeler Sales Registrations 2020
Ampere and Ather Electric Scooters
At No. 3 was Ampere Vehicles with 4,521 units sold in the past year and currently holding a 16.6 percent market share. Ampere electric scooter lineup includes the Reo (Rs. 43,490), V48 (Rs. 37,390) Zeal (Rs. 68,799), AmpereV48 (Rs. 37,390) and top of the line Magnus (Rs. 73,990).
Ather Energy also noted increased sales of electric scooters in the past year with 3,025 units sold and market share of 11.2 percent. Ather has recently inaugurated a new showroom in Mumbai and announced that it will be expanding the reach of its 450X e-scooter to 20 cities by Q1 2021.
Revolt, Bajaj, TVS
Lower down the order at No. 5 was Revolt Intellicorp with sales of 2,085 units in 2020 and market share of 7.7 percent. Towards the end of last year, the company announced a price hike for its two electric bikes RV300 and RV400.
Electric Two Wheeler Sales Registrations 2020
Bajaj has also noted increased demand for its Chetak e-scooter. Sales in the past year stood at 1,243 units and now the company is opening sales to 24 new cities in FY22 after restricting them to only Pune and Bangalore. The pandemic situation had caused constraints in supply of battery cells as these are procured from Wuhan, China. Last month, Dec 2020 saw 0 units of Chetak produced. Chetak wholesales were at 1,337 units in 2020.
E-scooter makers PURE EV (718) and Benling EV (552) also contributed some numbers in the past year. Jitendra New EV was on the 9th spot with 434 EV two wheelers sold followed by TVS on No 10. TVS registered 232 units of their iQube electric scooter in 2020, while wholesales were at 290 units. It is only in Bangalore that the TVS e-scooter is on sale.
Other names in the list includes NDS Eco, Avan Motors, Gemopai Electric, MEW Electricals, Li-on Electrik, Ira Edutech, Eco Fuel Systems, M2GO Electric Vehicle, SBTEK E Moto, Electreca Vehicles, etc.
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2021 Honda CB350 Cafe Racer Teaser
The recently launched Honda H’Ness CB350 rivals the likes of Royal Enfield Classic 350, Benelli Imperiale and Jawa Forty-Two

Honda has been able to turn many heads with the recently launched Hness 350. While many of us were eyeing for a design based on the Rebel Cruiser, Honda has pleasantly surprised us by revealing an all-new bike with a classic retro design.
The bike employs a new locally developed 350cc mill and carries design elements that are inspired by earlier larger retro-styled motorcycles. During the unveiling event, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) revealed its plan of expanding its premium retail vertical- Big Wing dealerships across the country by further strengthening its product portfolio.
Honda’s Big Wing Expansion
During the presentation, the Japanese brand also revealed a background art that would possibly suggest some new products in Honda’s Big Wing lineup. While three out of the four body arts could be identified as- CB500F- a naked roadster, CB500R- a fully-faired track bike; and CB500X- an adventure tourer. All three bikes have been in development for a long time now and are expected to be launched within a short space of time next year. All three bikes will employ the same set of powertrains.
However, things get interesting when the fourth bike’s silhouette resembles the recently revealed H’Ness CB350 which makes us believe that there might be another product on the way from the Japanese bike maker. Today, Honda India has officially shared the teaser of this 4th bike, which was first teased during the CB350 launch.
2021 Honda CB350 Cafe Racer Teaser
As per the latest teaser, this bike is going to be a cafe racer, based on the CB350. It will be powered by the same engine as the CB350. The H’Ness CB350 is powered by a locally developed 348cc unit single-cylinder, air-cooled unit which produces 21 bhp and 30 Nm of peak torque.
This unit is linked to a 5-speed gearbox. It is priced at Rs 1.86 lakhs ex-sh for the base variant and Rs 1.92 lakhs for the top variant. CB350 Cafe Racer variant will be launched on 16th Feb, and is expected to be priced around the same range as the existing CB350.
An Even Bigger Thump Coming?
At the time of CB350 launch Honda specifically mentioned that a “bigger thump is on the way”. It is possible that they were referring to yet another motorcycle, which will be more powerful than the CB350. In all probability, this bike will employ a 500cc engine. Now, the question arises whether it will be the same 500cc twin-cylinder unit that powers the above trio of bikes or a locally produced 500cc single-cylinder bike.
If this theory indeed holds some ground, we might see a retro-styled design CB500 in a few years. It will be of greater significance since its key rival Royal Enfield has discontinued all its 500cc offerings earlier this year. Therefore, there is an opening in market that has been left vacant and Honda will be aiming to occupy this space.
Even before the launch of CB350, there were murmurs about a bigger displacement bike on the same platform. Although, these are just speculations at the moment and things will hopefully get clearer in future. The CB500 twins are powered by a 471cc parallel-twin engine which kicks out 47 bhp and 43 Nm of peak torque. More