The two-wheeler segment has shown signs of recovery in the first half (H1) of calendar year (CY) 2024, largely driven by improving performance in rural areas. According to the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations, rural contribution to two-wheeler sales surged by 57-60 per cent in the April-June quarter of 2024-25, indicating a rising demand in these regions. Experts believe that this trend will continue, supported by a favourable monsoon season and government initiatives aimed at rural development.
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Honda Cars India approached the Gujarat government with a proposal to set up a car manufacturing plant in the state.
Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI), India's second-largest two-wheeler maker, on Wednesday revealed its electric vehicle (EV) roadmap, which includes setting up a dedicated EV factory, launching the first two EVs in 2023-24, and establishing 6,000 battery exchange points in the country. HMSI plans to establish a specialised unit for the manufacturing of electric vehicles (EVs), named 'Factory E', at its Narsapura plant located in Karnataka. Factory E will be created by converting an existing production line that currently manufactures internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, said Atsushi Ogata, HMSI managing director and chief executive officer.
The company is looking to ramp up its production.
Honda has invested Rs 3,526 crore in its Rajasthan unit.
Leading automakers Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai and Tata Motors on Friday reported robust sales for February as demand for sports utility vehicles continued to remain strong. Mahindra & Mahindra, Toyota Kirloskar Motor and Honda Cars also witnessed higher vehicle dispatches to dealers last month. February turned out to be the third-best month for sales for the industry ever.
Automobile (auto) retail sales in India grew by an impressive 14 per cent in July compared to the same period last year, driven by a surge in the rural economy, good product availability, and product launches. While passenger vehicles (PVs) saw a 10 per cent increase during this period, inventory levels have surged to a historic high of 67-72 days in PVs, equating to Rs 73,000 crore worth of stock, according to the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (Fada). This poses a risk to dealer sustainability. Inventory levels in July 2023 were only 50-55 days, equating to a stock worth Rs 49,833 crore. In June 2024, inventory was between 62 and 67 days, with a stock value of Rs 60,000 crore.
Hero MotoCorp, India's largest two-wheeler maker, has seen a decline in its market share in rural areas since 2018, losing ground to major competitors such as TVS Motor Company, Bajaj Auto, and Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI), according to data from JATO Dynamics reviewed by Business Standard. Hero's share of rural two-wheeler sales in India has dropped from 40.4 per cent in 2018 to 33.3 per cent in 2023. In contrast, Bajaj's share increased from 12.7 per cent in 2018 to 13.9 per cent, HMSI's from 21.8 per cent to 22.2 per cent, and TVS' from 15.5 per cent to 17.8 per cent. Suzuki Motorcycle India has also seen its share rise from 1.7 per cent to 2.5 per cent.
Alleging misconduct by its permanent workers, labour unions and contract staff, the plant management informed all stakeholders, through a notice, that starting Monday "normal operations" at the plant are being suspended.
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The stand-off at the facility, which employs around 1,900 permanent workers and 2,500 contract workers, began on November 5 morning when the company management did not allow some of the contractual workers to go inside the plant.
Passenger vehicle sales are expected to experience muted growth in the current financial year.
If you are a stylish commuter and don't mind paying a higher initial price, then the Livo might just be the bike for you, says Tanmay Pangam.
After many attempts, Bajaj finally has a bike to counter Hero Honda in the 100cc segment.
Honda's chief executive on Sunday disputed the low-cost business model championed by India's Tata Motors, saying that bad roads and high petrol prices would keep many emerging market travellers on motorcycles for years to come.
Riding on the back of easy availability of finance schemes and improved macro economic indicators, the segment has grown by a strong 16 per cent and further strengthened its position in the overall two-wheeler market pie.
Honda, Bajaj, Yamaha and Mahindra are revving launch plans for the 200cc and above motorcycle segment.
MotorOctane took this fun bike for a spin around a fun place -- Imagica Adventure Park -- to tell you more about it.
Bajaj Auto's ambition to zoom ahead of market leader Hero Honda in the entry-level motorcycle segment (75-125 cc) has taken a hard knock.
The new financial year started on a mixed note for car makers.
'Gujarat is the frontrunner at present.'
'However, Tamil Nadu's robust automobile ecosystem and Telangana's aggressive incentives make them strong contenders.'
Domestic motorcycle market leader Hero Honda Motors on Monday said it would foray into scooter manufacturing and launch two motorcycle models this fiscal.
On the exports front, Bajaj is under pressure in Bangladesh and Africa. On the domestic front, it could ride improvement in rural demand and new launches but it also has to cope with competitive intensity and a high base. The management projects 7-8 per cent volume growth in domestic 2W in financial year 2025 (FY25) with moderation in H2FY25 due to a high base Y-o-Y.
Hero Honda Motors, India's largest motorcycle maker, on Monday said sales rose 18.3 per cent in October 2004.
The Honda NM4-02 is a bike which gives us a glimpse of the future, says Faisal Ali Khan of MotorBeam.com
Fuel price hike will impact demand going forward.
Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI), Suzuki Motorcycle India (SMI) and Yamaha Motor India (YMI) are building motorcycles and scooters to suit the Indian market. The models will be manufactured at the company's research and development centres in Japan and will use new platforms.
Hero MotoCorp, Honda Motorcycles, Scooters India, TVS, Honda India, Toyota Kirloskar Motor, Ford, Nissan, Ashok Leyland are all giving the Auto Expo a miss this time.
The Mumbai-based company will take on Hero Honda, Bajaj Auto and HMSI and will have models in the 100cc, 125cc and 150cc mobike segments, and also in the ungeared low and high-powered scooter segments. Hero Honda has a 60 per cent share of the motorcycle segment, while HMSI commands a 58 per cent of the scooter market. Anand Mahindra said: "Our two-wheeler project is complete; we have already begun marketing the fleet in Bangalore."
To ride the Honda CRF 1000L Africa Twin you need to master the electronic functions first, says P Tharyan.
There could be some significant changes in motorcycles over the next few years says Shobhana Subramanian.
The Honda CD110 Dream is a motorcycle which is aimed at winning Hero Splendor customers
India's biggest motorcycle maker Hero Honda Motors said on Monday that it would roll out a number of variants of its bikes soon and is expecting double digit sales growth this fiscal.
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It's already a home to automobile majors like Toyota, Volvo, Tata Motors and Mahindra Reva.
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