The Honda CB Trigger was launched in 2013 in the market and currently uses a BS III engine that the automaker does not want to upgrade due to the low sales.
Establishing presence in the commuter motorcycle and scooter space during the past years, Honda Two-Wheelers has finally diverted its synergies towards the premium motorcycle space and the recently concluded RevFest was a grandeur way of conveying its plans for the future. The CBR650F was first of the many premium motorcycles to come and the automaker also showcased the CB Hornet 160R at the event that will replace the outgoing CB Trigger. With the Hornet here, Honda has officially discontinued the Trigger from the Indian market within just two years of launch.
Ever since its arrival in March 2013, the Honda CB Trigger has been a dud seller for the company that replaced the equally slow selling CB Dazzler in the company’s lineup. The 150cc Trigger uses a BS III compliant motor and given the government’s earlier plans to introduce BS IV norms by April 2015, the company did not want to invest in a slow moving product further by converting it to a BS IV unit. Hence, it only made sense to move its attention towards an all-new product, the CB Hornet 160R that will use a BS IV compliant 163cc engine. The government though will now implement the BS IV norms by April 2016.
During its 26 months of existence in the market, Honda managed to sell around 2.5 lakh units of the CB Trigger in the country. For June this year, the automaker moved a paltry 4 units of the Trigger from its showrooms. It is good to see the automaker taking swift action against slow selling products as it used a similar strategy to retire the dud selling CB Twister quickly and replaced it recently with the new Livo. The first impressions on the Hornet have been extremely positive and the bike looks like a right contender to rivals Suzuki Gixxer and Yamaha FZ.
Source – EconomicTimes.com
