Top 10 Two-Wheelers – August 2018 | Honda Activa leads Hero Splendor with over 60k units

Like the passenger vehicle market, the two-wheeler segment too has been impacted by the flood-hit Kerala, which is among the larger sales contributors in the country. Overall two-wheeler sales were 1,946,811 units, which marks 2.91 percent YoY growth. Scooter sales at 669,416 units were flat (0.60%) while motorcycle numbers at 1,206,512 units could have been better (+6.18%. Moped sales at 70,883 units were down 13.47 percent. 

Honda’s most popular two-wheeler brand in India, the Activa, has bagged top spot yet again with sales of 310,851 units in August 2018. This is despite a 7.37 percent YoY decline in its performance. According to YS Guleria, senior vice-president - Sales & Marketing, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India, who spoke to Autocar Professional on the sidelines of the 58^th SIAM annual convention in New Delhi earlier this month, monthly sales of the Activa are stressed due to two key reasons: the floods in Kerala, where the situation will take time to normalise again, and new driving license rule implemented in West Bengal.

“We lost 60-70 percent of the volume within the Kerala state under the flood impact. The market came to a standstill. Hopefully, it will be restored soon. Meanwhile, in West Bengal, there was an advisory issued by the state government wherein those who do not possess a riding license cannot buy the two-wheeler. According to our estimation, the industry has collapsed by about 50 percent due to this rule,” reasoned Guleria. He hopes that the YoY growth will soon fall in place for the Honda Activa.

Meanwhile, Hero MotoCorp’s Splendor brand of commuter motorcycles, which is India’s second best-selling two-wheeler brand in August too, recorded total domestic sales of 247,116 units, up 1.93 percent YoY.

At No. 3 is Hero MotoCorp’s HF Deluxe, which has reported sales of 183,716 units, up 13.98 percent YoY. Honda’s CB Shine has bagged the fourth rank with sales of 108,790 units in August 2018. The bestselling motorcycle in the 125cc category has reported YoY growth of 14.82 percent.

Hero’s Passion is the fifth largest selling two-wheeler brand in India in August. The Hero Passion family has reported sales of 82,681 units last month, down by 11.09 percent YoY.

It is interesting to note that Bajaj Auto’s entry-level mass commuter motorcycle, the 100cc CT variants have bagged the sixth slot in the coveted list. The Bajaj CT has reported sales of 82,424 units in August 2018, up 43.19 percent YoY.

TVS Motor’s 110cc Jupiter, the only other scooter brand apart from the Honda Activa to make it to the Top 10 bestselling two-wheelers list, has ranked seventh. It sold 79,223 units in August 2018, down 2.53 percent YoY.

The 125cc Hero Glamour and the 100cc TVS XL Super  moped family stand at eighth and ninth ranks respectively. While the Hero Glamour reported sales of 74,097 units (down 7.50 percent YoY) last month, the all-weather TVS XL Super sold 70,883 units (down 13.47 percent YoY).

The Pulsar, Bajaj Auto’s flagship brand, is India’s 10^th largest selling two-wheeler brand in August. It reported total domestic sales of 70,051 units last month, up 19.14 percent YoY.

All eyes are now on the incoming festive season, which records peak sales for the automotive industry through the 12-month fiscal every year. It would be interesting to see how the existing brands compete with each other in the world’s largest two-wheeler market in the coming months.

Also read: ​Top 10 scooters in August 2018

Top 10 Passenger Vehicles in August 2018

Top 5 Utility Vehicles in August 2018