Honda Super Cub Production Tops 100 Million Units

Honda has revealed an updated version of the Super Cub 110 and Super Cub 50 as the company announced a milestone this month in the production of the legendary two-wheeler. The Honda Super Cub has crossed 100 million units in production this month, since the Honda Cub was first introduced in 1958. This figure makes the Honda Super Cub the most popular bike ever to be built. What's more, the Super Cub's popularity seems to be increasing in recent years. From the model's introduction in 1958, it took until 2005 for Honda to build 50 million of these bikes, and in the last 12 years alone, that figure has doubled to 100 million.

The new, updated version of the Super Cub gets reworked styling inspired by the original 1958 model. Both the 50 cc and 110 cc versions of the Super Cub look identical, and there are higher-spec 'Pro' versions as well, with a basket at the front and smaller 14-inch wheels and a large luggage rack. All versions get LED headlights, new instruments with 49 cc and 109 cc single-cylinder engines powering them. Braking is handled by drum brakes both front and rear. The new Honda Super Cub will be showcased at the Tokyo Motor Show, and a new generation Cross Cub is also expected to be unveiled at Tokyo.

Honda Cub was never sold in India

Honda has never sold the Cub, or Super Cub in India, but all 1980s versions of Hero Honda motorcycles, including the bestselling Hero Honda CD100 had a 100 cc engine which had its origins in the Honda Cub. Hero even introduced a step-through model without a clutch, called the Hero Honda Street, which was based on the Honda Cub, but that model failed to see much success in India.

In India, Bajaj Auto introduced a replica of the Honda Cub in the 1980s, although technologically the Bajaj M-50 was not based on the Honda Cub. The step-through called the Bajaj M-50, was launched in 1981 with a 50 cc, two-stroke engine. A few years later, Bajaj launched the M-80, with a 80 cc engine, and it soon became a favourite two-wheeler, especially in rural areas. Low on maintenance and good fuel efficiency made the Bajaj M-80 a bestseller in the 1980s.