Honda might just get the first mover advantage with the PCX150 in the nascent 150cc automatic scooter segment that is yet to see any offerings from two-wheeler manufacturers.
Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) was quick to assess the automatic scooter market’s potential way before the competition even took notice, and the super success of the Activa today stands as testimony to it. Such is the brand’s following in the country that almost every product thereafter has been doing well on the sales front and now the Japanese auto giant plans to take a head start in the 150cc scooter segment as well as it plans to launch the PCX150 power scooter in the country.
In a press release, Honda India spoke about its plans for the financial year 2015-16 and how the company plans to “retain, expand and create” in the coming months. The manufacturer stated that it will be bringing a revolutionary new model creating a new segment in the Indian industry and we reckon this can’t be anything else apart from the 150cc space. Hence, the PCX150 sits well here as the company’s latest offering and will be launched at the 2016 Auto Expo in February.
The Honda PCX150 is a popular power scooter in Europe and comes with an angular design language with some aggressive performance from the 153cc single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine with fuel injection that produces 13.4 BHP of power and 14 Nm of torque, paired to a V-Matic automatic transmission. The scooter gets telescopic forks, alloy wheels, disc brakes, step up seat and a lot more. The scooter is quite large in dimensions but comes with a light kerb weight of around 130 kgs.
The Honda PCX150 was imported for R&D in January this year and will certainly be the first-of-its-kind offering unless other two-wheeler makers have a 150cc scooter planned for launch in the second half of 2015. When launched though, the power scooter is likely to be priced around the Rs. 90,000/- (ex-showroom) range as the company looks to commence operations at the upcoming scooter only production facility in Gujarat next January, where the PCX150 will most likely be made.
