Honda Activa became India’s bestselling two-wheeler in December 2016, outselling Hero’s Splendor range of motorcycles by a thin margin of 3,376 units. This was a month in which overall two-wheeler industry numbers fell sharply to 910,235, down 22 percent year on year.

With total monthly sales of 138,480 units, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI)’s popular scooter brand Activa grabbed the top spot. With this, the Activa also finished CY2016 by outselling Hero’s bestseller for 10 months thereby marking the emergence of scooters in the motorcycle-dominated market. The Hero Splendor, on the other hand, sold 135,104 units in December 2016.

Importantly, retail sales of both the top two bestselling two-wheeler brands in December 2016 were down due to the impact of cash crunch led by demonetisation. While the Honda Activa recorded a decline of 20 percent YoY, Hero Splendor was down by 26.91 percent YoY in December 2016.

At number three was another 100cc performer from the stable of Hero MotoCorp – HF Deluxe, which sold 85,386 units. TVS’ 100cc XL Super moped ranked fourth with sales of 64,161 units. Although Hero’s HF Deluxe registered a YoY decline of 8.63 percent, TVS Motor’s moped sales, interestingly, clocked a decent growth during the same period. It grew by 13.52 percent YoY marking a shift in the preference of buyers opting for more cost effective and reliable mopeds in comparison with the other 100cc mass commuter motorcycle models.

Another notable highlight for December 2016 is that the declining sales of popular bestsellers such as Hero Glamour, Hero Passion, Honda CB Shine, Bajaj Platina and Pulsar range resulted in a marked rise for TVS’ 110cc Jupiter scooter and Royal Enfield’s Classic 350.

While the TVS Jupiter bagged fifth spot in the Top 10 with total sales of 39,582 units (down 16.17 percent YoY), the RE Classic 350 sold 38,080 units and held the sixth rank in the elite list.

They were followed by the Bajaj Platina and Pulsar range for seventh and eighth ranks, which registered sales of 33,845 units and 32,252 units respectively.

Hero’s 125cc motorcycle, Glamour sold 26,556 units and occupied the ninth rank in the top 10 list.

Last on the list  is the one-time performer, the popular motorcycle brand from Hero MotoCorp, Passion which garnered sales of 24,672 units only, marking a steep YoY decline of 55.76 percent. The Hero Passion brand is understood to have been losing its month-on-month volumes mainly due to the lack of new models in its umbrella, absence of new technology and innovation and other value-for-money features. India’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer, which has taken note of the Passion’s fading brand value, is believed to be working on strategies to revive the same.