Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India, a subsidiary of the Japanese firm, piped Bajaj Auto to claim the spot for the country's second largest two-wheeler producer. According to reports, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India recorded sales of 287177 units (exports included) for the month of July 2013. This catapulted them past Bajaj Auto to reach the second rank in the charts of India's leading two-wheeler manufacturers. Also, the count of 287177 units has been the best that Honda Motorcycle and Scooter has recorded till date.
Notably, this is the first occasion in the company's 13 years of operation that sales of motorcycles were higher than that of scooters. Industry experts believe that this is primarily due to the demand for its Dream series. Statistics revealed that the 287177 units sold comprised 147635 motorcycles and 139542 scooters. Y S Guleria, the Vice-President, Marketing, at Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India acknowledged this development by terming it historic.
"Honda has created a new chapter in its Indian operations with three new records. In July 13, Honda have achieved highest ever sales, highest domestic market share of 24per cent and also became second largest player in domestic and export sales in two wheeler industry. This is largely attributed to the overwhelming demand for Dream series and the increase in production with start of second production line at the third factory in Narsarpura, Karnataka," he further added.
According to company officials, motorcycle sales saw a growth of 35 per cent, which allowed them to go past scooters in terms of volume. Notably, Honda Motorcycle and Scooters India began its operations in the country with a scooter portfolio, in order to take control of a segment that had no major competitors. After establishing itself in the scooter segment, Honda India then moved on to the highly competitive bike segment.
On the other hand, the two-wheeler manufacturer Bajaj Auto saw a fall in its sales by 18 per cent, reports have revealed. This came as a surprise to the Indian bike maker as it had introduced two new products in the market, namely Discover ST and Discover 100T. Analysts feel that this decline can be attributed to the tension going on between the management and the labour union at the company's Chakan plant. However, the company has almost resolved the issue and is hoping to regain the lost momentum in the market.
