Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) is working on a new 100 cc commuter motorcycle which will be positioned as an affordable product with fuel economy and will be the next new product launch from the company. Speaking to carandbike on the sidelines of the 62nd annual convention of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), Atsushi Ogata, President, CEO and Managing Director of HMSI said that Honda’s next product launch will be a 100 cc motorcycle.
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Atsushi Ogata, President, CEO & MD, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) in conversation with Preetam Bora on the sidelines of the 62nd SIAM convention in New Delhi on September 15, 2022.
“The motorcycle industry is still growing, especially the 125 cc segment. Luckily, we have the Shine and the SP125 in that segment. This segment of customers is living mainly in rural areas, and some of them in big cities, so they need more long-distance use. In that case, electric battery system is not so much in demand. We need to keep the momentum going, especially with our engine line-up, 125 cc, as well as 100 cc class. We don’t have it (100 cc) now, but we will be implementing it sooner than later,” Ogata said in an exclusive interaction with carandbike.
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The Honda CD110 Dream DLX is currently the most affordable Honda motorcycle, priced at Rs. 70,315 (Ex-showroom).
Honda currently has two 110 cc commuter motorcycles in its product portfolio, the Honda CD110 Dream DLX and the Honda Livo. The CD100 Dream is the most affordable Honda motorcycle on sale right now, priced at Rs. 70,315 (Ex-showroom, Delhi), while the Livo is priced from Rs. 75,002 (Ex-showroom, Delhi) for the base drum brake variant. Both bikes are built around the same 109.51 cc single-cylinder engine which makes 8.7 bhp at 7,500 rpm and 9.3 Nm at 5,500 rpm.
The new 100 cc commuter motorcycle is likely to get a smaller engine and will directly compete with the highest-selling motorcycle in India, the Hero Splendor. The Splendor has been a bestseller for Hero MotoCorp and is powered by a 97.2 cc engine, and has built a reputation for being frugal and being the consistent bestselling motorcycle in India.
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The Hero Splendor is India's highest-selling motorcycle, and accounted for sales of over 26.66 lakh units in FY 2022.
In FY2022, the Hero Splendor occupied the top spot as the bestselling motorcycle and two-wheeler in India, with sales of over 26.66 lakh units. Hero's motorcycle sales below 100 cc account for nearly 80 per cent of the company's overall volumes, including the Splendor and HF Deluxe. And this segment has average monthly volume of nearly 3.5 lakh units. In comparison, Honda’s bestselling scooter, the Activa was behind the Splendor's overall sales in FY2022 with over 17 lakh unit sales, while the 125 cc Honda CB Shine (11 lakh unit sales) was even below the Hero HF Deluxe which clocked sales of 11.65 lakh units.
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Clearly, for Honda, the 100 cc commuter segment offers a big opportunity, to take a shot at Hero MotoCorp’s dominance in the segment, and the new Honda 100 cc motorcycle will likely boast of an attractive price, fuel economy, as well as good suspension and handling, built for use over rough terrain, to make it attractive to consumers whose choice so far veered towards the Splendor and the HF Deluxe. We expect the new 100 cc motorcycle to be launched within the next few months in India.
HMSI is also working on an electric moped with a top speed of 50 kmph which will be priced competitively and will likely be launched in 2023, Ogata added, but said the first launch from Honda will be the new 100 cc motorcycle.
