Honda to overtake Bajaj in motorcycle sales, sold 1.46 million units as against Bajaj’s 1.47 million units.
Honda is inching closer to the number 2 spot to dethrone Bajaj as less than 10,000 units separate the former from the latter. Honda sold 1.46 million units in the April-December 2017 period as compared to Bajaj’s 1.47 million units (data from SIAM). While scooters have been driving volumes for Honda, motorcycles aren’t far behind with volumes expected to cross 2 million units this year.
Motorcycles account for 34 percent of the company’s sales and have outperformed the industry, in terms of growth. In the first nine months, motorcycle sales have grown at 23 percent which is more than double the market growth of 10 percent. Strong demand comes from the CB Shine and the CB Unicorn 150. Shine is, in fact, the third-largest selling motorcycle and also the largest selling 125cc motorcycle in the country.
That said, the company’s attempt to break the 100-110cc bike segment continues to remain challenging as Hero’s Splendor and HF Dawn rule that space. Overall, in the two-wheeler market, the company has a market share of around 29 percent.
With the launch of the new Discover 110 and 125, seems Bajaj isn’t going to let go of its position easily. The Pune-based automaker aims to sell 2 lakh motorcycles (per month) in the coming months after factoring in the incremental volumes that the Discover will contribute. While the Discover 110 is a completely new offering, the Discover 125, V15, V12, Platina and the CT 100 have got updates recently and this could propel the company to sell the desired volumes.
Honda Motorcycle Sales
– Honda sells 1.46 million units in April-December 2017
– Motorcycle sales likely to cross 2 million units this financial year
– Company looking to end the year on a strong footing
