The HX250R and the Hastur concepts are excellent examples of the new small capacity products that are being worked upon by EBR and Hero for global markets.
Hero MotoCorp’s minority stake in American motorcycle maker Erik Buell Racing (EBR) opened a whole new set of possibilities for both the manufacturers. While Hero received access to EBR’s technical prowess, the latter received financial backing from the Indian motor giant to expand its development process and dealer network globally. Expanding its global presence further, both the companies are now working on a completely new lineup of small displacement bikes that will be sold in emerging as well as developed markets across the globe.
In a recent interview, EBR boss Mr. Gary Pietruszewski, Vice President Global sales, stated that the newly developed Hero HX250R and the Hastur Concepts are are very good examples of what can be expected from both the manufacturers in the future. Showcased earlier this year, the Hero HX250R is a quarter-litre sports bike powered by a 249cc single-cylinder, fuel-injected engine producing around 31 BHP of power and a dry weight of just 139 kgs. With excellent dynamics on paper, the HX250R has already impressed many even before the official launch and will be sold not only in India but also in the US.
The Hero Hastur concept on the other hand is another such example of compact performance and comes with a 620cc parallel-twin cylinder engine with fuel injection that would take on the more established players in the middle-weight performance segment. With developed markets also opening to the idea of lower capacity-high performance motorcycles, the Hero-EBR collaboration will soon enter its most fruitful stage of the partnership. Adding further, Mr. Pietruszewski stated that while a product plan for the future generation motorcycles is still not in place, the possibilities are quite extensive.
The collaboration also allows EBR to have a say in how the motorcycles will be marketed in different regions globally. While the bikes will wear the Hero badge in certain markets, the other markets could get the EBR moniker, where the brand is a bit more familiar. This also leads to the possibility that new Hero products including the HX250R will be sold under the EBR name in the US. EBR is also considering a possible entry into the cruiser space as part of its future lineup. With the project being still nascent, there is no clarity whether the new small capacity cruisers will use a single-cylinder or parallel twin-cylinder engines.
Source – Auto Evolution
