Strong brand reputation and frugal nature of the Hero Splendor has made it the world’s largest selling motorcycle with 25 lakh units retailed in the country last fiscal.
The two decade old ‘Splendor’ brand is synonymous with brand Hero in the country and is easily one of the most recognizable motorcycles that can be found in even the most remote locations. Such is the popularity of the two-wheeler brand that has managed to captivate the masses with its reliability and extremely frugal nature. With ownership years extending to over a decade for several customers, we have even seen customers upgrading to newer Splendor models despite new competition coming in. For the 2014-15 fiscal, Hero MotoCorp sold 25,17,189 units of the Splendor series in India, achieving a new landmark while maintaining its tag of being the highest sold motorcycle brand in the world.
On a year-on-year basis, the Hero Splendor saw sales increase by 11.1 percent in 2015 while 22+ lakh units were sold the previous year. At present, Hero MotoCorp sells five variants of the Splendor with two engine options including the extremely frugal 97.2cc single-cylinder unit tuned to churn out 8.36 PS of power and 8.05 Nm of torque, paired to a 4-speed gearbox and powers the Splendor+, Splendor Pro, Splendor Pro Classic and the Splendor iSmart. The other engine available is the 124.7cc single-cylinder unit that produces 9.12 PS and 10.35 Nm of torque, paired to a 4-speed gearbox and powers the Super Splendor.
The more recent additions to the Splendor family were the iSmart and Pro Classic models that brought a whole new perspective to the commuter brand. The Splendor Pro Classic turned out to be a good looking cafe racer based on the regular version and has taken the fancy of quite a few; whereas the Splendor iSmart is the only motorcycle in the world to feature a start-stop system that maximises fuel economy. Most recently, the tests conducted by iCAT (International Centre for Automotive Technology) concluded that the iSmart returns a fuel efficiency figure of 102.5 km/l under ideal conditions, making it the most frugal two-wheeler in the world.
