Honda Bikes

Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India gave a whole new meaning to reliability and refinement in the Indian two-wheeler industry. Its products - particularly the Activa - turned out to be so popular that it threatened the dominance of the Hero Splendor. From partnering with multiple Indian brands to being valiant enough to compete as a standalone manufacturer, here’s how Honda made a name for itself in our market: 

Bigamous beginnings:

In the mid-1980s, the two-wheeler business in India started blooming with products from diverse companies like TVS-Suzuki and Kawasaki-Bajaj among others. Back then, it was a common trend for many Japanese companies to form alliances with Indian manufacturers to operate in our market. The Japanese were known to have engineering prowess and the fledgling Indian companies needed their assistance to grow the business. Honda knew there’s a big potential in India because the growing economy and population meant big capitalistic opportunities. 

In 1984, Honda teamed up with Hero MotoCorp, formerly called Hero Cycles. The new joint venture was called Hero Honda Motors Ltd., and the first product that came out of this alliance was the Hero Honda CD 100. At that time, the CD 100’s reliability and fuel efficiency were ages ahead of its competition because most of the two-wheelers in the market were less advanced two-strokers. Honda’s technological superiority reflected in the bike’s demand too, as Honda made one lakh units in just two years!

Honda realised there’s a huge scope of growth in the scooter market too, which was then dominated by Bajaj Chetak. In 1985, the Japanese brand signed a joint venture agreement with one of the local manufacturers in India - Kinetic Engineering - to make scooters.  The first product to come out of this partnership was the KH 100, the first automatic scooter in India. The lack of gears made it considerably more convenient to commute in the city. For a lot of riders, this aspect alone made it a better proposition than the venerable Chetak. This coupled with the reasonably light-weight construction made it a preferable choice for women as well. However, in the late 90s, light-weight, fuel-efficient motorcycles gained popularity and Kinetic simply couldn’t compete in the market. The brand could not make a motorcycle with Honda’s help as the Japanese marque already was in partnership with Hero to make bikes. Ultimately, Kinetic ended up buying Honda’s stake, and the partnership came to its conclusion in 1998. But in parallel, Honda still continued its business with Hero and the alliance gave rise to a number of motorcycles catering to both commuter and performance segments in the '90s.

The birth of the Activa, Unicorn & CB Shine:

In 1999, the Japanese brand set up a wholly-owned subsidiary called Honda Motorcycle And Scooter India. However, the company wasn’t active until the turn of the century. In 2001, its first product, the Activa, rolled out of its factory doors. The Activa’s neutral styling and reliable, refined engine made it an instant hit in the scooter segment. In fact, Honda reported a massive sales tally of 55,000 units in its debut year! By 2003, the Activa's cumulative sales figure crossed the 5 lakh mark. It was a bold decision for Honda to introduce an automatic scooter in a market that was still ruled by geared scooters and motorcycles.

The following year witnessed the arrival of the Unicorn 150 which marked Honda’s onslaught into the 150cc segment. The Unicorn too became a favourite amongst commuters thanks to its refined engine and bulletproof build quality. In parallel, the Activa’s demand grew so high that in 2005, the cumulative sales literally doubled, breaching the 10 lakh unit mark! 

The product lineup continued to expand in the following year too, when the Japanese brand entered the 125cc motorcycle segment with the CB Shine. Both the Shine and the Unicorn had a few things in common: conservative design (yet solid build quality), efficiency, reliability, butter-smooth engine and good excellent build quality. Even though Honda’s products commanded a wee bit of a premium, prospective customers knew it was worth shelling out a bit more for top-notch quality. The Shine soon held the major share in the 125cc motorcycle segment and continues its dominance till date!

Parting Ways With Hero:

In the early 2000s, Hero’s dependence on Honda gradually decreased, allegedly over differences in business motives and issues with royalty payouts. The final nail to the coffin was hammered in 2011 when Hero and Honda ended their joint venture. In the same year, Honda entered the quarter-litre performance segment with the CBR250R. Its VFR-derived styling made the bike look elegant, appealing to a wide age-group. This, along with the creamy 250cc liquid-cooled engine made the motorcycle a solid choice for tourers. It was capable of sustaining triple-digit cruising speeds.

In 2012, Honda launched the CBR150R in a bid to compete with the popular Yamaha R15. However, it wasn’t as exciting to ride as the R15 and eventually it ended up being discontinued when India transitioned from BS3 to BS4 emission norms. After the CBR twins, Honda couldn’t really make a lasting impact in the sporty segment except for the CB Hornet 160R which was launched back in 2015. The Honda CB300R has been more of a niche offering, and despite the localisation, remains a pricey proposition. When it comes to big bikes, Honda launched its first CKD product, the CBR650F, in India back in 2015. Now, Honda has seven different motorcycles in its premium portfolio which are sold exclusively through Honda BigWing dealerships.

Into the future:

Honda has been now proactively working on venturing into new segments. While the BigWing brand will soon introduce a new product for our markets, HMSI has been testing out the Benly-E electric scooter in India and has also partnered with Hindustan Petroleum to set up charging and battery-swapping stations across the country. The Japanese brand is also developing a low-cost 100cc commuter in a bid to dethrone the Hero Splendor.