The success story of the Honda Activa needs no any introduction to any Indian. Every time you venture out in the road, almost every third two-wheeler is an Activa. She has not only emerged as the largest selling automatic scooter but has also become the most selling two-wheeler in the country. In doing so, it has gone past several interesting names which have been holding the helm for 17 years now.
When the sun started setting for the Bajaj Chetak, motorcycles by a certain Hero Honda badged company rose to the occasion. Four stroke engines, high fuel efficiency and robust build quality. They had it all. Soon the market was taken over by the Splendor, which, post the Hero and Honda split, began to be sold under the new Hero MotoCorp badging. And solder it on it did, that too with authority.
Back in 2001, the Activa had a sales volume of a mere 55,000 units. Yes, in the whole year. Sales jumped to a total of 10 lakh units in 2005, 55 months after the launch. Since then there was no looking back for the Activa. Monthly sales went past the 1 lakh unit/month mark in 2012 and the next lakh was added to the monthly sales figures in just 2 years. 2016 saw it go past the 2.5 lakh/month mark!
The Activa is available in three variants. The Activa 125, Activa i and Activa 3G, where 3G stands for third generation and not mobile internet! While the majority of sales are because of the 110 cc version, the Activa 125 manages to sell roughly 25,000 units a month. The company is planning to shift its focus on the Activa 125 and increase its production. The Dio is doing around 30,000 units a month and is set to get more attention by the manufacturer. The Navi is trading around 11,000 units every month.
In a motorcycle-crazy nation, hitting the 2.5 lakh units/month for a scooter is a really commendable job. The management, however, has confirmed that as of now they have no plans to target the 150 cc market. Honda, where is the wind going to take the brand Activa now?
