Bajaj Discover Vs Hero Splendor, Discover wins in September

It is the time for the after effects of the split of Hero and Honda got visible now. Hero MotoCorp and Honda, which had parted their ways to end one of the most successful joint ventures of all time, now are facing the heat of competition from their arch nemesis Bajaj Auto. Hero Motocorp has been facing a huge fall in the sales of their bikes. It's not like that the bike market has dipped but it is only Hero Motocorp which is losing numbers day by day. And it was obvious that Bajaj Auto is the one to get benefits from it. In the sales of September,2012, Bajaj Auto claims to have sold 1,22,918 units of Discover, which is more than Hero's bread and butter bike Splendor, as a total of 1,21,018 Splendor bikes only have been sold during the same time.

On the basis of September sales, Bajaj has claimed to capture the No. 1 position in 100cc bike segment and the sales figures also made the Bajaj Discover the most sold bike in the world. Giving a take on Bajaj Auto's claim, Hero MotoCorp gave a quick response and one of their spokespersons said, "Splendor continues to be by far the most popular and the largest-selling motorcycle brand in the world. Last year, we sold over two million Splendor bikes and we are well on course to clock that kind of number this year as well." On the same, K Srinivas, Bajaj Auto President (Motorcycle Business) said, " Innovation, better features, competitive pricing and the ability to do more than merely commute, courtesy the focus on power without compromising on the mileage, as the key factors which give the Discover the edge."

Showing his excitement on this achievement, he further added, "When we launched the Discover in 2004, the brand we wanted to attack was the Splendor. In eight years, we have got very close. Obviously, we will start the chase. Whether we will continue this or not is only what the future will tell us." He also revealed future strategies of the company for the Discover. He said that the company is bullish about its newly-launched variant Discover ST, and finding solutions to the capacity constraints, so to help in terms of exports as well. The company has set a target of 1,30,000 Discover sales in October and 1,40,000 in November in the domestic market, along with exporting up to 20,000 units in each month, he added. For this month the Discover is the clear winner and it will be interesting to see that whether it sustains the no.1 position or the Splendor will capture it again.