As the Indian auto market is going through a repressive phase, the two-wheeler segment has also bore the brunt of it. However, the demand for scooters are on the rise as compared to the stagnant bike segment. This new phenomenon, like scooter performing well against the likes of bikes, is on the prowl in the Indian market since the past few months. In the recent time, the segment comprising scooters has become the fastest growing in the Indian market and is actively taking the competition to their counterpart, bikes.
The gear less vehicles have increasingly addressed a large number of customers that include males, which were previously confined to buying motorcycles instead of scooters. During September 2013, Honda Activa knocked off two-wheeler segment leader, Hero Splendor from its perch after almost two decades. In cities like Chandigarh, Imphal, Goa and Kerala, the demand of scooters have outpaced the sales of bikes. While in other metropolitan cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai, scooters have been making constant inroads as they have now bridged the gap between them and bikes to large extent.
The sales of scooter have registered a growth of 26 per cent in the last four years as opposed to the 15 per cent of motorcycles. As seen by industry experts, the urban infrastructure and popularity among women have majorly contributed to good showing of scooters in these areas. Credit must be given to two-wheeler manufacturer, Honda in reviving the sales of scooters in India with its models like Activa and Aviator. Commenting on this, YS Guleria, Vice-President (Marketing and Sales) of Honda said “First it was Chandigarh - a hub of education in the north - where scooter gained prominence. And then in South India, Kerala - India's most literate state - became the first state where scooters outsold bikes. Our data show that Gujarat is now emerging as a major hub where scooters are narrowing the gap with motorcycles pretty fast."
Scooter manufacturers are nowadays actively marketing their products for women buyers as they comprise a significant customer base in India. Further throwing on light on this, Anil Dua, Senior Vice President (Marketing and Sales) for Hero MotoCorp told “Scooters find multiple uses in urban households compared to motorcycles, which are more suited for men. The emergence of scooters as the preferred mode of personal transport is in step with the transformation of the country's demographic profile - women are becoming increasingly empowered and income levels in semi-urban and rural areas are on the rise."
It must be noted that Indian bike market is nearly three times bigger than scooters. Even though scooters have been constantly raking in good numbers, motorcycles still continue to form a major chunk of pie in the two-wheeler segment with sales of over 10 million units each year. On the other hand, the demand for scooters have risen by double-digit in the first half of this financial year. The sales of bikes grew marginally by 1 per cent whereas for scooters it reached 17 per cent at 16.6 lakh units in the same period.
