HX250R launch is now almost being forgotten…
Hero Motocorp stunned everybody with the mega showcase of what appeared to be some very futuristic display of technology at (and before) the 2014 Auto Expo. Among them was the HX 250R, a brand new quarter liter from the company with truckloads of EBR (erstwhile partner) substance.
It looked real good and with claimed figures of 31 PS of power it was slated to become the most powerful single cylinder 250 cc motorcycle in India. Two years later, Hero put it on its podium once again at the 2016 Auto Expo with only one change – removal of the suffix ‘R’ from the name. What has remained consistent throughout is that they have NOT talked about the motorcycle much after the first showcase.
Forty three months later, there is nothing which can be said about its launch. There are no test mules, Hero is not even hinting about it and there is just nothing which could ascertain that the motorcycle is being worked upon for launch.
HX250R Launch: Reason of Delay
Back in March 2016, Hero’s CTO, Markus Braunsperger, shared the reason of HX 250R’s delay. According to Zigwheels, he said they did not receive parts for the bike to go into mass production from their partner (EBR). Back then, he assured that with their new R&D center up and running, they would bring the hardware there and decisions will be taken (of its launch).
This is the only recorded update we have from Hero on the motorcycle and even after 1.5 years of this story, there is literally nothing from them. All we know is that they have plans to introduce Xtreme 200S sometime within this financial year apart from some commuters and scooters which are their bread and butter. They have planned six new launches for 2017 but as it is transpiring, HX 250R may NOT be a part of this plan which will take the total count of years (since first unveil) to four.
Also Read: Current-Gen Karizma Officially Discontinued But New Karizma is on the Way…
This reminds us of how Mahindra delayed Mojo. It was showcased back in 2010 amidst a lot of fanfare and was eventually launched five years later in 2015. However, the stark difference here is that unlike Mahindra two wheelers, Hero is massive and terribly cash-rich along with all the experience one can have in selling motorcycles. So, it is kind of just becoming a little uncomfortable for a brand of the stature of Hero that they are not able to launch a single cylinder 250cc motorcycle, despite being involved in it for the last many years…
Also Read: All-New Hero’s 200cc Adventure Motorcycle Coming Next Year [Speculation]
And we have not even started talking about Hastur or the Diesel RNT! This begs a question on the capability of Hero – “is it too tough for them to bring in such motorcycles?“
