Nobody can really predict the future of the 2-wheeler industry in India. The market is maturing and new segments are emerging. Hero MotoCorp has long ruled the country with its commuter motorcycles and the company split up with Honda in 2011, which put uncertainty around the automaker’s future. India’s largest automobile manufacturer has been in the news very often, sometimes for its record sales while also for its new partnerships with foreign companies like EBR, AVL and Engines Engineering.
While Hero MotoCorp does have its hand set on making minor changes to the design of its motorcycles, the biggest hurdle is undoubtedly developing engines. Hero’s erstwhile partner, Honda is known for its engines so beating them isn’t an easy task. Now Hero MotoCorp has developed three engines, which the company has done on its own. These engines will power new motorcycles which are set to launch in 2014. The three engines displace 100cc, 110cc and 250cc in cubic capacity and are claimed to be class leading in terms of fuel economy.
“We have fired three new engines, and we have done this ourselves. Each of these engines perform much better than our existing engines, and they are very fuel-efficient, the efficiency being higher than any bike currently running on Indian roads,” Pawan Munjal, MD and CEO, Hero MotoCorp.
The 110cc engine will power the next generation Splendor and Passion which is due for launch by October 2014. The 100cc engine has been developed specifically for the Nigerian market, while the 250cc engine will feature in the upcoming Karizma ZMR, which is already on test and was also spotted recently. Developing its own engines is the biggest achievement for Hero considering it has managed to engineer the powertrain in such a short span of time. It is likely that the company took inputs from its partners for the development of these new engines.
The most interesting engine of the three is of course the 250cc mill. We hope it’s a twin-cylinder unit although we have our doubts. Hopefully Hero MotoCorp will extensively test the new engines to ensure bullet proof reliability, something which Honda engines have offered to Hero bikes.
Source – Times of India
