Honda Shines again, while Bajaj and Hero Continues to lose Numbers

Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India (HMSI) continued to perform well in April 2013 as well, by recording a 31 per cent growth. Honda has reported a total sales of 259,560 units, which is the highest ever sales number achieved by Honda ever. On the other hand, the other two major players of Indian two-wheeler sphere- Hero MotoCorp and Bajaj Auto continue to lose numbers. Hero MotoCorp reported a 9.51 per cent decline in its total sales at 4,99,113 units for April this year, while in the same month last year, it had sold 5,51,557 units.

Hero MotoCorp Senior Vice President (Marketing and Sales) Anil Dua said: "We are glad to have opened the new financial year with dispatch of close to five lakh two-wheelers in April....we expect retails sales to stay buoyant even in May." Bajaj Auto, which has already slipped to no. third position has also reported a 12.12 per cent fall in its motorcycle sales at 3,00,827 units in April 2013. Bajaj sold 3,42,324 units in the same month last year. Bajaj also reported that exports also decreased by 22.89 per cent during the month at 1,30,329 units compared to 1,69,010 units in April 2012.

Honda holds 21 per cent of the market share at the moment, making it the second largest bike manufacturer in the country. Honda has made it possible by launching new products at regular intervals and introducing new updates on the existing vehicles. Honda has announced its ambitious plans to become the largest two-wheeler manufacturer by 2015-16 and to sell a hefty 10 million vehicles by 2020. Though, Bajaj Auto is working on the counter strategy to regain its lost position and has already announced an aggressive strategy to introduce two new Bajaj Pulsar and six new Discover Series bikes in 2013. Therefore, Honda also considers Bajaj a more important competitor than Hero MotoCorp. So is it a direct competition between Honda and Bajaj or they forgot Hero MotoCorp, which still have the biggest market share (more than commutative market share of Bajaj and Honda). It won't be easy for Honda to defeat Hero MotoCorp for next 4-5 years, but Honda's growth is a big problem for the Hero for sure. So, it is a wait and watch game for now.