We take a look at the sales figures of the 150cc bike segment for the month of December 2015. The new entrants in the segment have made things interesting.
In the past few months, the 150cc motorcycle segment has seen a lot of movement. There have been new launches by multiple brands and this has changed the sales structure by a fair amount. The Bajaj Avenger which was recently launched in its 150cc avatar to provide an affordable cruiser to the customers has been received well. Honda is also betting big on the CB Hornet 160R which they launched last month in the Indian market.
Continuing with its unparalleled winning streak, the Bajaj Pulsar dominates the segment even after witnessing a drop in sales of around 30%. Coming in on the second position is the TVS Apache which is doing well for itself. The Yamaha FZ and Fazer are on the third spot with sales falling a bit due to the entry of newer bikes in the market. The only 150cc cruiser in the market, the Bajaj Avenger is seeing strong growth and sales have increased by 115%.
At a distant fifth place is the Suzuki Gixxer which is an extremely capable motorcycle and is the Japanese brand’s most successful model in India (not too long ago it was selling 10,000 units a month). The Honda CB Hornet 160R, the Gixxer’s closest rival, is slightly behind the Gixxer. But in the coming months, it might get an edge in the market due to it being backed by the might of Honda. The old lady, the Hero Achiever is still selling in decent numbers despite most people forgetting that the bike even exists (the East of India loves this bike for reasons best known to them).
The Yamaha R15 has seen an increase of 32% over previous month’s sales which shows that enthusiasts are still picking it up for its excellent handling characteristics. The Xtreme and Hunk are slow sellers in Hero MotoCorp’s stable and should be axed to use showroom space for something better. The Honda CBR150R is selling in dismal numbers since it is an outdated bike. The Honda CB Unicorn 160 seems to have been cannibalised by its younger but more expensive brother, the Hornet since sales have dropped by a whopping 90%. Heck, even the CBR150R sold more than the Unicorn 160, looks like axing the old Unicorn 150 wasn’t such a good idea after all.
