Hero Splendor back to No. 1 spot after 3 months in September 2015

Hero MotoCorp’s best-selling two-wheeler range, the Splendor series of mass commuter motorcycles comprising of five models (Splendor+, Splendor Pro, Splendor Pro Classic, Splendor iSmart – all powered by the same 97.2cc engine, and the 124.7cc Super Splendor) has regained its position of being the best-selling two wheeler brand for the month of September 2015.

Beaten by Honda’s best-selling two wheeler brand the Activa scooter models, Hero’s Splendor brand ranked number two during the quarter of June, July and August months.

India’s largest two wheeler company in terms of sales volumes, Hero MotoCorp recorded total sales of 2,43,188 units of the Splendor range during September 2015, up by a flat 3.55 percent YoY. The company had sold 2,34,844 units of the Splendor models in September 2014.

On the other hand, selling just 13,806 units fewer than Hero’s bestsellers, the Honda’s Activa scooters (family of three models – Activa-i, Activa3G and Activa 125) stood at the number two slot with total sales of 2,29,382 units during September 2015. The Honda scooter brand recorded a YoY growth of 8.82 percent. It had sold 2,10,797 units of the Activa scooters in September last year.

Hero’s Passion brand of mass commuters (Passion Pro, Passion XPro and Passion Pro TR) remained stable at the third rank with total recorded sales of 1,08,395 units in September 2015. The Hero Passion brand had ranked third in September last year as well when it had sold 1,07,239 units.

Hero’s HF Deluxe and Honda’s 125cc bestseller, the CB Shine continue to rank fourth and fifth in the top 10 best-selling two wheelers in India for September 2015. While the 97.2cc HF Deluxe sold a total of 1,01,579 units last month, the 125cc CB Shine fetched a monthly sales volume of 69,162 units for Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI).

The HF Deluxe motorcycle, one of the most affordable models from Hero MotoCorp, comes with a starting ex-showroom Delhi price of Rs 42,200, the company website says.

It can be noted that month-on-month wise, there is a substantial growth in the sales in the sales of the top selling two wheelers in India.

Industry analysts say that the month-on-month growth in the sales of Hero’s Splendor range (which sold 1,81,993 units in August 2015), Passion range (81,529 units sold in August 2015) and HF Deluxe models (Aug’15 sales: 80,871 units) from August to September 2015 can be attributed to the demand on account of the religious festivals such as Janamashthami, Ganesh Chaturthi, Eid and others during the last month. They remain bullish about the possible uptick in the market as the festive season approaches in the months of October and November starting with the auspicious Navratras.

On account of a demand surge in Bajaj Auto’s Pulsar brand, it has moved upwards over the last month, and now ranks sixth in the top 10 best-selling two wheelers’ list for September 2015. The Pulsar brand of motorcycles, which currently encapsulates 8 models ranging from 135cc to 220cc of engine displacement, recorded total sales of 66,765 units last month. In August 2015, the Bajaj Pulsar brand stood at the eighth position in the said list with sales of 52,193 units. Reportedly, Bajaj’s Pulsar RS200 is faring well in the urban cities as the company continues to stretch the availability of this model to tier II and III towns.

Regaining some traction in the market after close to two months, Bajaj’s mass commuter motorcycle model, the 99.2cc Bajaj CT100, the most affordable model from the stable of Bajaj Auto that comes with an ex-showroom Delhi starting price of Rs 35,034, has now moved from the 10^th position in August 2015 to the seventh rank in September. The model sold 59,408 units last month (Aug’15 sales: 38,412 units).

Hero’s 124.7cc Glamour models (two variants on sale) reported sales of 55,793 units during September 2015 as they held the eighth slot in the list.

The ninth and the tenth positions are held by the products from TVS Motor Company. While the 70cc moped, the TVS XL Super that sells well in the south Indian markets has ranked ninth, the best-selling scooter from the stable, the 110cc Jupiter has again entered the top 10 list, and occupies the 10^th slot for September 2015. The TVS XL Super sold 54,559 units and the Jupiter scooter, also the second best-selling scooter in India, sold 48,866 units during the last month.

It would be interesting to keep a close watch on the changing dynamics of the two wheeler market as the OEMs line up several new product launches to gain market traction during the festive season. 

Also read:

- Top 10 Scooters of September 2015

- Top 10 Passenger Vehicles of September 2015

- Two-wheeler sales slow down as buyers remain sombre in September

- Hero MotoCorp rides past 600,000 unit sales in September