We will soon see multiple launches by Hero Motocorp in the scooter arena which will try to challenge the superiority of the ones from Honda. Duet and Dash will be the two scooters which will try to take on Activa and Aviator among other scooters from different manufacturers. Pricing of both the new ones will be Rs. 55,000 with the Duet costing slightly less than Dash.
The scooters maybe launched with multiple engine options but one will surely get to see a 111 cc air cooled one which produces 8.4 bhp and 9.4 Nm of torque. The new offerings will look similar to the Maestro, just a little sleeker. Hero will need to keep in mind TVS Jupiter too, which is currently a hot seller in the segment and comes with a 110 cc engine. The manufacturer also has to tackle the chic looking Yamaha Ray, which is probably the best looking scooter in the range.
The company unveiled Dash in last year’s Auto Expo and now numerous spy shots are surfacing on the internet with minimal camouflage, which means that the scooter is ready to enter production. Both the scooters would be able to touch a speed of 100 km/h, which is enough for a 111 cc engine powered vehicle weighing around 110 kg.
The only scooter that can be called successful by the manufacturer is Pleasure. With the female audience in mind, Hero marketed the scooter as a girls-only one which was similar to the strategy of Bajaj when it started selling Pulsars- “Definitely Male”. If the company wants to unsettle Honda in the scooter segment, it would have to come up with something special. The soon to be launched two wheelers are expected to fare better than their predecessors.
