Honda Bikes

Honda 2W sales are mostly driven by Activa here in India like clockwork with a 52.25% share of total Honda domestic salesImage for referenceHonda Motorcycles & Scooters India is one of the most valuable motorcycle companies in the world. Due to its immense volume generated from domestic sales as well as exports, Honda is just a little shy of beating Hero MotoCorp, which is revered as the highest-selling motorcycle company in India for a long time.India is one the largest 2W market in the world and is of stark importance to establish dominance. Honda sold 4,23,226 units here in India with a 21,746 unit volume gain and registered 5.42% YoY growth with 4,01,480 units sold in August 2021. Not too shabby. With Activa at the helm, Honda is able to put out a lot of volumes and drive numbers forward.Honda Activa series sold 2,21,143 units registering a solid 8.05% YoY growth with volume gain standing at 16,484 units. It commands 52.25% of total Honda sales in India. Next is CB Shine with a 28.39% share. It sold 1,20,139 units and registered a de-growth of 7.53% YoY and lost 9,787 units. After the two heavy lifters, next is Dio with just 29,714 units sold and seeing 10.47% YoY growth.Honda Domestic Sales Breakup Aug 2022Unicorn 160 commuter bike has re-gained popularity in recent times and registered 341.12% YoY growth with 25,051 units sold. Unicorn accounts for 5.92% of total Honda sales in India. At 5th and 6th place are Livo and Dream which register 10.93% and 16.74% de-growth YoY. Royal Enfield rivaling CB350 sold 3,714 units and registered 254.73% YoY growth.Honda Domestic Sales – August 2022Hornet 2.0 and X-Blade stand at 8th and 9th place with 143.96% and 2034% YoY growth respectively. Sales stand at 1,010 units and 929 units respectively. Newly launched XPulse 200 rival, CB200X faux ADV sold 404 units. Honda’s CB300R seems to have resurrected from the dead as it only sold 1 unit in Aug 2021 and sold 258 units in August 2022 with 25,700% YoY growth.CBR650R sold 33 units in India and fell in the red with a 10.81% YoY drop. At the bottom, we have Grazia 125 scooter, Africa Twin ADV, CB500X and Gold Wing that didn’t garner any sales. Most surprising is Grazia 125 which sold 8,618 units last year.Honda Exports Breakup Aug 2022Motorcycle X scooter hybrid, Navi tops Honda’s exports. Honda exported 11,934 units of Navi while registering 114.25% YoY growth. Navi makes 30.76% of total Honda exports. Dio is in 2nd spot with 10,701 units shipped, registering 105.31% growth with a decent 27.22% of total exports. CB Shine is well received globally and sees 32.33% YoY growth with 3,414 units shipped.Honda Exports – August 2022X-Blade stands at 4th place and shipped 3,348 units while witnessing a 19.60% drop YoY. However, Dream commuter shipped 2,892 units and saw 57.86% growth YoY with 7.36% of Honda’s total exports. Unicorn isn’t chased as much in global markets and witnesses a 9.09% drop in sales.Livo shipped 1,500 units in August 2022. Grazia and Hornet 160R are not well received globally like last year and registered a 45.12% and 57.00% drop in sales YoY. Honda has shipped 800 Aviators while it is discontinued in India. Even though Activa is a coup de grace here in India, it is not a popular product globally. With just 392 units shipped, Activa exports dropped 36.16%.Showing appearance on export charts, we have CB350 with just 1 unit shipped with a 99.88% drop YoY. In total, Honda shipped 39,307 units while registering 30.53% YoY growth with 9,193 units gained in volumes. One trend to be highlighted is that Honda budget commuters are seeing a decline steadily while Hero is lapping up aggressively. More

Payment systems need to be fully automated to reduce the risk of unwanted liabilities arising from human error and misjudgementHonda Activa Owner Charged Rs 55,000 At Petrol PumpWith hard cash, the usual set of problems faced include shortage of smaller denomination currency notes, risk of counterfeit notes, torn/soiled notes, etc. Digital payments have done away with all such issues, but some new ones have been created in the process. Payments getting stuck, account debited but not credited and weak network signal are among the most common.At locations where the amount needs to be entered manually, there’s always the risk of human error. A recent example involves a Honda Activa owner who was charged Rs 55,000 instead of Rs 550. The incident occurred at a Shell fuel pump in Thane, Maharashtra. Thankfully, the matter was resolved amicably, with the owner getting the refund on the same day.What Happened?After filling the fuel tank of his Honda Activa, the owner made the payment by scanning the QR code shown by the fuel pump attendant. He made the payment via Google Pay. Once the payment was made, he was surprised to see the amount that was debited from his account. The amount was to be about Rs 550. But instead, the fuel pump attendant had by mistake generated QR code for Rs 55,000.Attendants at fuel pumps have to process hundreds of payments every day. Depending on the location, a significant percentage of these are digital payments. At most fuel stations, the amount has to be entered manually on the handheld POS machine. As number of transactions is quite high, the risk of human error is always present. Moreover, attendants are under pressure, as they have to ensure that the exact amount is entered.Honda Activa Owner Charged Rs 55,000 at petrol pumpEntering the wrong amount on the POS machine can also be due to lack of proper training and awareness. Newer machines that display a QR code for making payment are relatively easier to use as compared to older versions. Newer POS machines utilize capacitive touchscreens, as compared to the button keys of older generation POS machines. Newer POS machines also have larger and clearer displays.Despite these factors, the Activa owner was still overcharged. It is not clear what exactly led to this error. As newer POS machines offer smartphone-like clarity, it is difficult to tag this incident as a casual error. On their part, users can avoid such incidents by taking a look at the amount displayed on the POS machine screen before making the payment.Integration of fuel pump and POS machinesTo avoid incidents of overcharging, the human element needs to be completely eliminated. Fuel pumps need to be connected wirelessly to the POS machines, so that the amount shown is always equal to the value of fuel dispensed. Something similar has already been implemented at various retail outlets, where POS machines automatically fetch the amount from the bill generated. As no manual entry is involved, the risk of charging less or more is completely eliminated.Petrol pump transferred the excess amount back via NEFT to Honda Activa ownerCurrent-gen POS machines that display QR code for payment can also be improved by displaying the amount more prominently. As of now, the QR code takes most of the space and the amount is displayed in a corner in small font. If the amount is displayed more clearly, users can immediately spot a wrong entry. More

2023 Honda CBR250RR makes 4 bhp more than the outgoing model which was not launched in India2023 Honda CBR250RRHonda is known for its quality and reliability worldwide. So much so that it has a cult following even here in India. Honda is one of the most valuable motorcycle companies in the world right now when considering sales and production in all global markets combined.In India, Honda is known for scooters with Activa range while Hero MotoCorp still holds the strings in motorcycle department. Honda’s CBR range is generally reserved for sporty faired motorcycles. Of these, the quarter-litre CBR motorcycles offer the right balance of performance and frugality.India got CBR250R back in the day. But right now, fully-faired sporty motorcycles by Honda are a rare breed in India. With CBR650R currently the cheapest offering that costs around Rs. 9.5 lakh (ex-sh). Indonesia gets a revised 2023 Honda CBR250RR which would have been a good seller in India. Let’s take a look.2023 Honda CBR250RRIn Honda’s terminology, more R means sportier and more performance. First unveiled in 2016 in global markets, Honda CBR250RR was well received. Honda is keeping the product fresh by updating it for MY2023. This update not only brings fresher design, but Honda has also fettled with its engines to extract a few more ponies.2023 Honda CBR250RRComing to the looks department first, it is a sharp-looking animal. 2023 Honda CBR250RR gets an all-new fairing which is slightly more aggressive than previous design. Rest of the body panels along with its rear seat cowl are also new. Graphics and colour schemes are new for MY2023 too. LED lighting is standard and turn indicators are housed on top of headlights.In terms of componentry, 2023 CBR250RR now gets front USD forks finished in gold colour. These are Showa SFF-BP (Separate Fork Function – Big Piston), while the rear suspension is taken care of by a mono-shock, mounted on an aluminium swingarm. At 1,385 mm, the wheelbase is now 4mm smaller and allows the bike to tip into corners better.Engine & RivalsComing to its engine, it is a single-cylinder unit that displaces 249.7cc. With a reworked engine head, Honda has managed to crank up the compression ratio slightly. This allows the 2023 Honda CBR250RR to make 42 PS of power at 13,000 RPM and 25 Nm of torque at 11,000 RPM. With the 2020 model, performance figures were 40 PS and 25 Nm.2023 Honda CBR250RROther features include Dual Channel ABS, three riding modes, a quick shifter, slipper clutch, and dual pod exhaust among others. With a 14.5L fuel tank, 2023 Honda CBR250RR weighs 168 kg. This yields good power:weight ratio. Honda offers five colours namely Bravery Red Black, Mystique Blue, Mat Gunpowder Black Metallic, Black Freedom, and Honda Tricolour.Price is not yet revealed by Honda. If launched in India, with this power figure, it will take on KTM RC 390, BMW G 310 RR, Apache RR 310, and the likes. HMSI has not revealed any details about this motorcycle coming to our shores. We are hopeful, regardless. More

Honda upcoming 100cc bike is coming in 2023 and is highly likely to be the company’s first new offering of 2023Honda CD 110 – For ReferenceIt is a known fact that Honda is a top name in the Indian scooter market. With Activa in its arsenal, Honda is practically unmatched. To put it into context, Activa alone accounts for more than 50 percent of Honda’s total sales. If you take top 10 best-selling scooters in India, Activa sells almost as much as the rest of the nine contestants combined. In the global two wheeler market, India plays a leading role for Honda bringing in lakhs of units in sales each month.Honda doesn’t enjoy the same monopoly when it comes to best-selling motorcycles. That is because Hero MotoCorp has always been the champion in this era. With Splendor range of budget bikes, Hero has unmatched popularity among rural customers. This is where Honda is currently falling short. This is where Honda is planning to chart a stronger path forward.Honda Upcoming 100cc BikeThis development is in the form of a 100cc bike to challenge Splendor. Right now, Honda’s lowest capacity commuter motorcycle engine is a 110cc unit (109.51cc) that does duties on CD 110 Dream and Livo. Above these are Honda Shine and SP 125 which come with a 125cc engine.However, its arch-rival, Hero offers a 100cc platform (97.2cc) which promises more frugality. Something which target audiences appreciate. This engine is offered with HF Deluxe and Splendor Plus, which is the highest-selling motorcycle in the country.Hero Splendor Plus XTECSpeaking at 62nd annual convention of SIAM, HMSI CEO and MD, Atsushi Ogata revealed that Honda’s upcoming product is a 100cc budget commuter motorcycle. He further revealed that this 100cc commuter will be Honda’s first product in 2023. Honda upcoming 100cc bike will take Honda’s reachability even further and is expected to be well received in India. Honda is also planning to launch over 10 new EVs globally.Atsushi Ogata also stressed that for rural use where short-distance riding is the norm, 125cc and upcoming 100cc models will do better. This market is not too hot for EVs as budget and versatility is the deciding factor here. With a well-tuned suspension and a good frame, this new platform might yield good fruits to Honda and close in the marginal gap that it currently has behind Hero.Specs and PricingCurrently, Honda’s 125cc platform, which consists of Shine and SP125 is powered by a 124cc engine that makes around 10.6 bhp of power and 11 Nm of torque. Shine gets a 4-speed gearbox. While SP125 gets a 5-speed unit. This category of motorcycles offer around 60 km/l of fuel economy in the real world too.Its arch-rival Splendor Plus and HF Deluxe get a 97.2cc engine that is capable of making around 8 bhp of power and 8.05 Nm of torque. This engine is only coupled to a 4-speed gearbox. This platform is even more frugal and offers around 65+ km/l fuel efficiency. Honda upcoming 100cc bike might also make power and torque figures around the same ballpark.HF Deluxe pricing starts from Rs. 54K and Splendor Plus start from around Rs. 70K and comes packed with features like XTec connectivity too. While CD 110 Dream starts at around Rs. 70K and Livo start from Rs. 75K. With an aggressive price point, Honda upcoming 100cc bike may make a dent in Splendor sales. Apart from Splendor Plus and HF Deluxe, it will also compete with Bajaj Platina too.Source More

Honda is currently not selling any EVs or flex fuel products in India which is set to change starting from 2023Image for illustration purpose.With just 85 units short, Honda India lost to Hero MotoCorp in overall (domestic+export) sales in August 2022. Both companies are also branching out to incorporate EVs into their portfolio. Hero is likely to launch its Vida branded electric scooter by the end of this year and Honda has revealed that it will launch an electric scooter in 2023.Honda is launching 10 new electric 2W vehicles or more by the end of 2025. These 10 or more EVs are to include a wide variety of segments. Not just that, alongside these 10 EVs, Honda will also launch flex-fuel motorcycles as soon as 2023. India is also under radar for some of these offerings. Let’s take a look.Honda New LaunchesHonda is launching 10 new electric 2W vehicles or more by the end of 2025. This is Honda’s plan toward an EV future and attaining carbon neutrality. Coming from Honda, this is big news as this motorcycle is arguably the most influential motorcycle company in the world.Honda has teamed up with other three Japanese “Big 4” (Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha) into a consortium in 2019 towards a uniform standard for batteries, charging stations and a few other EV components. This will significantly bring usability and ease for general consensus. For example, Apple sticking to lightning ports on few of their products is just a pain in the wrong place for everyone.Honda New Fun EVsThe Japanese brand also has a similar consortium regarding swappable battery standards with brands from the old continent like Piaggio and KTM. Honda’s 10 or more new EVs will be offered in the form of mopeds and bicycles, commuters and “fun” EVs. These models will be launched between now and 2025 with a few mopeds, bicycles and commuters to see the light of the day first.Honda New EVs Global LineupHonda has big ambitions of at least 1 million unit sales by 2025 and 3.5 million unit sales by 2030. With proper planning and marketing, Honda is likely to achieve its roadmap. Honda is calling its powertrain and control units Monozukuri and is likely to spawn on these upcoming EVs.Flex Fuel BikesSome of these EVs will also make it to India. One of them will be an electric scooter which is likely to get Activa in its name. Honda India recently patented a hub motor in India which is likely to fall on this product and future products too. In terms of batteries, Honda is likely to push swappable battery tech both here in India and globally.Honda New Launches – EV PowertrainHonda’s “fun” EVs are less likely to be launched in India though. Also, electric mopeds and bicycles are a lot more feasible for India. Honda is working on solid-state batteries that have superior battery chemistry and are also known to be safer. But mass-producing solid-state batteries are the only thing that is a fly in the ointment.Coming to flex fuel bikes, India is likely to be under Honda’s radar as we already use 10% ethanol blended fuels. These flex fuel bikes will be able to run on 20% ethanol and by 2025, Honda might also develop engines that can run on 100% ethanol too. India is set to roll out 20% ethanol blend fuels in select states in 2023. More

Honda currently has products in most engine capacities and also segments, and is pushing sales envelope further2022 Honda ADV ScooterHonda 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 BikesAccording 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.Honda Scrambler 350cc – Render based on leaked patent by Young MachineBut 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 BikesIn 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 ADV 160cc for India?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. More

Honda Two Wheeler YoY sales grew in both domestic and export markets in August 2022Image for illustration purpose.Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) has posted significant growth in August 2022. The two wheeler maker had an active month of August with the CB300F naked street motorcycle launched in India at Rs 2.26 lakh (ex-showroom).The new 2022 Honda Shine Celebration Edition has also been launched in India at a starting price of Rs 78,878, ex-showroom. Earlier, the company had also introduced the Dio Sports Edition and Activa 6G Premium Edition.Honda Two Wheeler YoY Sales August 2022Honda sales in August 2022 have grown both in terms of domestic sales and exports. Sales in domestic markets increased 5.41 percent to 4,23,216 units in August 2022, up from 4,01,480 units sold in August 2021. This was a 21,736 unit volume growth with a 91.50 percent share. Top sellers in domestic markets continued to include the likes of Activa, CB Shine, Dio, Grazia, Hornet, CB350, Livo, Dream, etc.Exports increased 30.53 percent YoY to 39,307 units in August 2022, over 30,114 units sold in August 2021 relating to a 9,193 unit volume growth with an 8.50 percent share. This took total sales up 7.17 percent to 4,62,523 units in August 2022 from 4,31,594 units sold in August 2021 with a 30,929 unit volume growth.Honda Two Wheeler Sales Aug 2022MoM sales in domestic markets increased by 5.09 percent from 4,02,710 units sold in July 2022 relating to a 20,515 unit volume growth and a 90.77 percent share. Exports however, were in the red with a 3.99 percent de-growth to 39,307 units in August 2022 from 40,942 units sold in August 2021 with a 9.23 percent share. Total MoM sales increased by 4.26 percent to 4,62,523 units from 4,43,643 units sold in July 2022 with a 18,880 unit volume growth.Honda 2W In Aug 2022During the past month, Honda also expanded its BigWing dealership networks. Two new BigWing outlets were opened in Mira Bhayandar (Maharashtra) and Azamgarh (Uttar Pradesh).Following the launch of Honda Dio Sports Edition and Activa 6G Premium Edition, the end of August also saw the company introduce Shine special edition 125cc motorcycle. Honda Shine Celebration Edition comes in at a starting price of Rs 78,878 (ex-showroom). It gets two colour options of Matte Steel Black Metallic and Matte Sangria Red Metallic while in terms of design, it sports fresh stripes, gold wing mark emblem and a special edition logo on its fuel tank.Honda Shine Celebration Edition sees no change in its engine lineup and continues to draw power via a 123.94cc, single cylinder, air cooled, fuel injected engine that offers 10.5 hp power at 7,500 rpm and 11 Nm torque at 6,000 rpm mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. Braking is via a drum/disc option in the front with CBS and drum brake at the rear. More

Just like Activa in scooter segment, Shine is Honda’s primary volume generator in motorcycle spaceNew Honda Shine Celebration EditionAhead of the festive season, Honda has introduced a fresh new look for its popular Shine 125cc motorcycle. The new Honda Shine Celebration Edition packs in a range of cosmetic updates. In terms of equipment list and hardware, the bike is largely the same as the standard model.Shine Celebration Edition has been launched at a starting price of Rs 78,878 (ex-showroom, New Delhi). That’s a premium of Rs 1,500 in comparison to standard Shine drum variant that is priced at Rs 77,378.With Shine Celebration Edition, Honda will be looking to leverage positive consumer sentiments generally seen during festive season. Shine is already a bestseller and consistently ranks among top 10 two-wheelers in the country. In July, it was in third place, trailing behind Hero Splendor and Activa.Honda Shine Celebration Edition featuresHonda Shine Celebration Edition gets two new colour options – Matte Steel Black Metallic and Matte Sangria Red Metallic. The special edition bike also gets a new golden theme. While the graphics have the same layout, they are done in a striking golden shade.New Honda Shine Celebration EditionThe golden theme extends to other components such as the golden wingmark emblem, Shine logo on tail section and celebration edition logo on the tank top. The headlamp cowl and side panels also get golden garnish.Among the two new colour options, the golden theme stands out with the Matte Sangria Red Metallic. The overall look and feel is more agreeable on this one, as compared to Matte Steel Black Metallic colour option. This is especially true, taking into account the brown colour seat.If the seat had the standard black shade, the Matte Steel Black Metallic colour option would have worked better with the golden theme. Users looking for a sprightly colour option are most likely to go with the Matte Sangria Red Metallic shade.New Honda Shine Celebration EditionAnother update is matte axis grey metallic muffler cover, which complements the golden theme of Shine Celebration Edition. In the standard model, the muffler cover comes in glossy chrome finish. Honda Shine Celebration Edition will be available in both drum and disc variant.No functional improvementsApart from the cosmetic updates, new Honda Shine Celebration Edition is the same as standard model. The bike is powered by a 123.94cc motor that generates 10.74 PS of max power at 7,500 rpm and 11 Nm of peak torque at 6,000 rpm. It is mated to a 5-speed gearbox with multiplate wet clutch. The bike is preferred for its reliable performance and good mileage numbers that are around 50-55 kmpl in city conditions and around 60-65 kmpl on highways.New Honda Shine Celebration EditionHonda Shine packs in advanced tech features such as eSP (enhanced smart power), silent start with ACG, side stand engine cut-off and engine start-stop switch. Other key features include DC headlamp, integrated headlamp beam and passing switch, longer seat, 5-step adjustable rear suspension, combi-brake system with equalizer and seal chain. More