Enter the mid-year and we are all set to witness some of best brands showing their technical prowess in all forms and ways just to lure more and more people to their showrooms. Let’s see how the previous month of May went for our Indian bike manufacturers.
Hero Honda: Starting with the ever so strong and ever so selling, Hero Honda which sells more than half of the bikes sold in India. They remain at the top selling more than double the bikes sold by the Bajaj, the second number manufacturer. The reliability and trust of their products is clearly visible by the sheer number of bikes sold by them. Hero Honda reported a 22.5% increase in their sales in May selling 3,82,678 units over 3,12,317 units last May. And reports suggest that the company is planning a 100cc bike in the competitive price band of 40,000 to 45,000, to propel their sales further. At the time of announcing results, Pawan Munjal, managing director and chief executive officer, Hero Honda said with more than 57% share in the domestic motorcycle market, the company is in the strongest position in its history.
More Details: NDTV Profit | Financial Express
Bajaj Auto: After selling a very dismal 60,000 odd bikes in Dec 2008, people were gloomy about the step which Bajaj took of exiting the 100cc segment. But since then, Bajaj has only seen the upward trend and this month sold a healthy 1, 65,049 motorcycles which formed the major chunk of their 1,65,697 total 2-wheelers sold from their stable. Total 2 & 3 wheeler sales stood at 1,85,341 units which included 19,644 3-wheelers and 58,682 exports. Considering the fact that, India still trusts 100ccs much more than the bigger segments, this is a commendable job from Bajaj, more so because they achieved this feat without 100ccs (as they have quit the 100cc segment few years ago).
Bajaj also reported that they sold 20,000 units of XCD135 this month which has been the driving force for their sale figures after Pulsar since its launch in Feb 2009. It was the month of May which saw the launch of 2009 versions of both the younger siblings, Pulsar 150 and Pulsar 180 which, according to Bajaj, have been very well received by the people and as a result, they are increasing the production capacity of Pulsars to 50,000 bikes per month. Then there was a special announcement for the biking enthusiasts who crave for power and speed. Keep your fingers crossed, Bajaj is coming up with the ‘Fastest Pulsar Yet’ (that is how they described it) this month. Rest assured, plenty of positives coming for us from this well-managed company.
TVS Motors: TVS Motors registered an impressive 5% growth in May 2009, registering a total two-wheeler sales of 1,18,574 units as compared to 1,12,770 units during the same month last year. TVS managed to sell 53,495 bikes in India as compared to 54,717 units recorded in May 2008. Scooters sales stood at 22,486 units as compared to 22,931 units in May last year. The exports market saw a dip to 11,135 units against 14,017 units in May last year. However, the company witnessed an increase of 10% in exports over the previous month of April 2009.
TVS is set to strengthen their premium segment by launching the eldest brother of Apache family, the Apache RTR 180, which is already creating news in the country, this month. The bike is expected to be a hit especially among the youth considering the character of its smaller siblings and set to be a very potent contender to the very competitive and rapidly evolving Indian performance biking arena.
More Details: TVS Motor India
Yamaha: With the slack in sales and nothing new to offer, Yamaha India sales were going down the drains few months back. And then they launched what they are synonymous for – Power. With the launch of the macho stud FZ series of bikes and the technical gem R15, Yamaha has only seen the upward trend. May 2009 was no different for them, registering an impressive 82% growth as compared to the corresponding period last year.
The company sold 16,952 units in May 09 against 9295 units during May last year. With the launch of R15, it was evident that Yamaha is back into action and rest assured other companies need to be wary of them. And with FZ-16, FZ-S, Gladiator and R15 in their kitty, rest assured they are doing every bit not to let the competition run away with glory. Recent reports are that the company is working on a new model of FZ, which would include a front fairing along with some other changes. You can find them here: Yamaha Fazer. More Details: AFAQS.com
– Saad Khan
