Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India have confirmed that they will be introducing five exciting new motorcycles in India as they are approaching the premium bike business with newfound zeal now.
The strategy for Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) might have been to focus on mass products, but the company has confirmed that they are now ready to “inject fun of riding in existing and new segments” of premium motorcycles. The idea is to ‘Make in India for the World’, and for this Honda will start mass production of a few big bikes from India from its current CKD / CBU models. With the recent emergence of the mid-size motorcycle segment, Honda are taking serious measures to capture the locally-manufactured premium motorcycle space.
Earlier this year, HMSI had launched the Honda BigWing showrooms to cater exclusively to their premium offerings which included the new CB300R, the CB1000R, the CBR650R, the CBR1000RR Fireblade and Fireblade SP, the Africa Twin adventure tourer and the iconic GL1800 GoldWing luxury tourer. For now, these high-end motorcycles are being imported to the country as CBU (Completely Built Units) and CKD (Completely Knocked Down) units. The company has confirmed that the existing models (ranging from 300 cc to 1800 cc) which have received makeover in the international markets will be brought to India as well. (Also Read: Honda CB 350 H’ness Launched)
Rumour is, that Honda are planning to introduce a new range of locally produced mid-size motorcycles to compete with the segment-leader, Royal Enfield. To ensure a smooth take-off of this new project, the Japanese auto giant have hand-picked a 15-member team of senior executives who have a good understanding of big bikes and the niche segment. This team is being headed by Yogesh Phogat, who was formerly with Ducati India and prior to that with Harley-Davidson India. The idea is to bring a fresh approach to the mid-size motorcycle business and create a dedicated sales, marketing and after-sales ecosystem. Apart from this, in the coming 18 months, Honda are also looking at setting up about 100 specialised outlets which would include 22 of the BigWing outlets. (Also Read: Honda Launch BigWing Vertical)
Elaborating on this, Yadvinder Singh Guleria, Senior Vice President – Sales & Marketing, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. said, “Globally Honda has a strong legacy of fun riding – be it for fun urban riding, super-sport racing, luxurious touring or even off-roading. Starting April’19, Honda spearheaded its new premium bike business identity under Silver Wing-Mark branded as -Honda BigWing.
Honda will unleash Phase II of its premium business vertical in the new BS-VI era. Guleria revealed that customers can expect double the fun with 13 iconic global models including 5 brand new models. This will be supported by exclusive Honda BigWing network for sales and service in 75 cities. Earlier he had revealed that pricing is going to be a key consideration for increasing the volumes and viability of HMSI dealers. The vital piece of information is that Honda is working on a locally produced model so that the project remains a viable one.
Several of the global motorcycle majors are already working on new strategies and 300-500-cc motorcycle models for India. Joint ventures such as Bajaj-Triumph and TVS-BMW are already vying to get a share of the pie; while Harley-Davidson will be introducing smaller and more affordable motorcycles to compete in the segment which currently stands at 8 lakh-plus units per year and is dominated by Royal Enfield. (Also Read: Honda CB500 F and X twins at EICMA)
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