Here’s How Much Honda’s Upcoming 100cc Bike Could Cost
Modified On Mar 13, 2023 08:46 AM By Nishaad Joshi for Honda Shine 100
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With the Hero Splendor in the crosshairs, immaculate pricing will be the key for the upcoming Honda to be successful
[UPDATE: Honda has launched the Shine 100 in India at Rs 64,900. Head to our launch story for all the details]
Honda is all set to launch a new 100cc commuter bike on March 15. This move will mark the re-entry of the Japanese marque in the 100cc segment and the bike will hence be taking on India’s best-seller, the Hero Splendor Plus. So, with such grand ambitions in mind, how much could the bike actually cost?
Now Honda has already promised that the 100cc bike, which could be called the Shine 100, will carry a price tag that’ll “positively shock” us. Let’s explore how Honda could nail the upcoming motorcycle’s pricing:
If Honda Uses A Sloper Engine
There’s a possibility of the upcoming Honda bike sporting a sloper engine. For the uninitiated, that was a format that Hero and Honda jointly used in the Hero Honda Splendor, ever since the bike was launched in the 90s. What it brings is cost-effectiveness, a factor that’ll be extremely crucial for Honda.
What’s more, if the Japanese manufacturer ultimately decides to reintroduce this format, it could very well promote it as the "OG" sloper, appealing to people's cherished recollections of these engines from the 1990s. Honda should then be able to utilise the full potential of this engine and price the upcoming bike competitively.
The Hero HF 100, at Rs 56,968 (ex-showroom Delhi), is the most affordable 100cc bike in India. Now, a sub-Rs 60,000 pricing will be extremely hard to achieve, so realistically, a sticker price of around Rs 62,000 (ex-showroom) could be on the cards for the Honda.
If Honda Doesn’t Use A Sloper Engine
Post Honda’s split from Hero in December 2010, Honda has never really used a sloper engine in any of its bikes. The bigger issue is that there’s no secondary catalytic converter to be seen on the design patent that leaked online. That means the engine doesn’t even seem to be BS6 compliant, let alone compliant with the upcoming OBD-II norms that are slated to kick in in April 2023.
If Honda uses an underbored version of the 110cc engine that powers the CD Dream Deluxe 110, then Honda will be able to undercut the Dream. In this case, expect Honda to price the bike at around Rs 65,000-70,000 (ex-showroom). For perspective, the Dream costs Rs 71,133 (ex-showroom Delhi).
Yes, though the brand’s recent pricing strategy has been…let’s just say weird, we expect Honda to channel its inner self and become the Honda of the past, a brand that was known for selling value-for-money and reliable motorcycles. Once launched on March 15, the Honda bike will go up against the Hero Splendor, HF 100 and the HF Deluxe.