Hero Honda will launch all new Karizma in 2011, which will have an all new design ground up. The world’s largest automaker plans to get aggressive in the 250cc segment, which has started to see alot of action of late. The new Karizma will have an all new chassis, a more uniform and sporty design and will be powered by Honda’s 250cc motor producing 27hp of power and 22Nm of torque. The Hero Honda Karizma 250R is being tuned for more high end power than low end grunt and will be priced below Rs. 1.2 lakhs (ex-showroom). The company will adapt its umbrella branding strategy and has signed up international brand consultancy firm Wolff Olins for the same. The Karizma 250R will also be exported to other countries as the company looks to form a strong base in other markets post its split with Honda.
The all new Karizma will also feature a segment first. The company is testing a new technology known as HERS (Hero Energy Regenerative System), which will charge an electric motor on braking. A user will get a power boost of upto 10 seconds by pushing the HERS button located besides the horn, helping the bike become a riders delight in terms of performance and outright acceleration. Post the launch of the Karizma 250R, Hero Honda will discontinue the Karizma R, whose availability has already been reduced. The company has also realised the importance of further building the Karizma brand to take on the Kawasaki Ninja and Honda CBR250R and has thus started heavily promoting the Karizma ZMR during the world cup. At approximately Rs. 25,000/- premium over the Karizma ZMR (which retails at Rs. 91,000 ex-showroom), Hero Honda indeed has a winner in the Karizma 250R.
“We still have 7 more engines to be procured from Honda Japan, as per our technical contract which runs till 2014. One of them is the 250cc engine which was recently launched in the CBR250R. We will be using the 250cc motor in the upcoming all new Karizma, which will take the market by storm, owing to its high power, value for money and new design, sharing nothing with the current Karizma R and ZMR. We are also testing a new power boost technology on the bike and are very excited to commercially launch it,” a person from Hero Honda’s powertrain department has revealed to Motorbeam on the request of anonymity. “Ranbir Kapoor will be the brand ambassador for the upcoming Karizma 250, which will be the first vehicle we will promote without the Hero Honda brand name,” he added.
2011 Hero Honda Karizma 250R Details : –
- Launch – October 2011
- Price – Rs. 1,28,000/- (on-road, New Delhi) estimated
- Power – 27hp @ 11,000Rpm, 22Nm @ 6000Rpm
- Mileage – 30kmpl
- Tank Capacity – 14 liters
- Brakes – 300mm petal discs (front), 250 discs (rear), ABS
- Suspension – Mono Shocks, iGRS
- Tyres – 110 section (Front), 140 section (Rear)
- Features – Digital Instrumentation (Analog Tachometer), Built in GPS, Dual projector headlights,
- Performance – 0 – 100kmph in 6 seconds, 4.5 seconds with HERS enabled, top speed of 180kmph
Update – We have added an exclusive audio transcript with Hero Honda, listen to the Karizma 250R Interview
