In this quick one, I present Indian motorcycle sales numbers for each segment. You will get your answer why is everybody after RE…
Everybody knows that majority of buyers in India get 100-110cc motorcycles and as the price window increases, the volumes go down by each segment. Interestingly, there is one segment that defies this flow… and that is thanks to one maker… Let’s discuss…
So, once the very popular 125-150cc segment (basically the 150cc motorcycle segment) has shrunken and you would be surprised to know that we only have two players who play this game still – Bajaj and Yamaha. Bajaj sells its Pulsar 150s and the Yamaha has its FZ range here.
Because of the widening of the overall market, the 150cc segment has also gotten divided and most makers have moved to the 160ccs and 180ccs – because of various advantages the displacement gain offers them.
As we gradually go up the displacement range, the concentration of 2-wheelers go down and there is a drop in the 125-150cc segment and then an increase in the 151-200cc segment. The flow continues till we hit the 250-250cc segment. Wait let me share the numbers…
Indian Motorcycle Sales
| Segment | Sales – Apr-Dec 2023 | Share |
| 75-110cc | 42,79,617 units | 49 percent |
| 111-125cc | 23,94,402 units | 27 percent |
| 126-150cc | 3,65,085 units | 4 percent |
| 151-200cc | 9,14,402 units | 10 percent |
| 200-250cc | 82,987 units | 1 percent |
| 251-350cc | 6,12,083 units | 7 percent |
| 351-500cc | 68,031 units | Less than 1 percent |
| 501-800cc | 24,880 units | Less than 1 percent |
| 801-1000cc | 1075 units | Less than 1 percent |
| 1001-1600cc | 471 units | Less than 1 percent |
| Over 1600cc | 125 units | Less than 1 percent |
| TOTAL | 87,43,162 units |
So as you can see, upto 350cc segment comprises almost all of the motorcycle sales in the country with the 100-110cc segment garnering almost half of the share. Hero single-handedly rules this segment.
The 125s then comprise slightly more than quarter of total sales. It is Honda that has been the king here with erstwhile leader Hero gradually falling to the fourth spot (with TVS just under its throat).
Then there is a steep drop in the 150cc segment (because of reasons mentioned above). Both Yamaha and Bajaj almost sell equal number of units in this space.
Following that, we see a sharp upstick with interesting motorcycles like Pulsar 200s, the Apaches and the R15s showing their popularity. It is TVS that is the biggest player here but there is neck to neck competition between Bajaj, Yamaha and even Honda.
The 200-250cc segment sees a natural drop as we do not have a lot of options available here. Most of the sales come from the Bajaj’s Pulsar 220 and some from the Ronin. It will be interesting to see if Karizma can add a few numbers to this tally in the coming months.
OPINION: Bigger Himalayan 450 – Is It Good News for Rivals?
Then there is a sudden spike – and that is where Royal Enfields come into the scenario. Despite playing in the 2-3 Lakh price band, the Enfields are insanely popular and sell almost double of the 150s! In fact, its 5.76 Lakh units sales (in the same period) are higher than the combined sales of 350-2400cc motorcycles plus 201-250cc plus 150ccs! Now you know why is everybody trying to snatch a pie of this from RE. The sheer size of this segment plus the high margins are too hard to resist.
Following that is a a trail of segments that do not register a lot of volumes, but are more for profits and their total share in the Indian motorcycle scenario would be less than 5 percent.
Are you surprised at any of these figures…?
