We share Honda XBlade sales and compare them with Hornet’s numbers to see if the new motorcycle has really expanded the 150cc segment for the Jap…?
Honda could not penetrate in Hero’s strongly held 100-110cc motorcycle market despite multiple attempts. They shifted focus to the 150cc segment which is dominated by Bajaj and followed the multiple-motorcycle strategy. As a part of the plan they launched as many as four motorcycles in this space – Unicorn 150, Unicorn 160 (it appears to have been discontinued), Hornet 160R and the newest entrant X-Blade.
Ever since its return, Unicorn 150 has been a brisk seller. Hornet 160R was also doing pretty good numbers and the X-Blade was introduced to rake up some more volumes to give a fight to Bajaj’s Pulsars. So, how has the strategy panned out for the Japanese giant? Let us take a look at Honda’s sales in the 160cc segment then..
XBlade Sales
| FY 2018-19 | 74,255 (~6180 units average) |
Hornet 160R Sales
| FY 2017-18 | FY 2018-19 |
| 1,23,055 units (about 10,250 units monthly) | 64,508 units (~5375 units per month) |
So, as you can see with the launch of X-Blade, Hornet started losing out in the market and was reduced to almost half of its sales. Combined sales of Hornet and X-Blade for the last financial year stood at about 1.38 Lakh units (at an average of 11,500 units per month), just 15,000 units more than the numbers Hornet achieved single-handedly in the last fiscal.
This Fiscal’s Numbers
| April + May 2019 Sales | |
| X-Blade | 5938 units |
| Hornet 160R | 6933 units |
As you can see, both the motorcycles have started the new fiscal on a weaker note and average about 6400 units a month combined.
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So, in terms of numbers, the new motorcycle has mostly eaten into Hornet’s share which means that they have not been able to poach prospect customers from other makers. This should be a disappointment for Honda. However, they must have earned a lot more in terms of revenue considering the fact that Hornet’s placement was raised artificially ever since the X-Blade came into the scene. So, essentially for the same motorcycle Honda would have been earning a lot more than before.
