TVS Raider 125 races past 500,000 sales in 25 months

The Raider 125, TVS Motor Co’s first product in the 125cc commuter motorcycle market, is turning out to be a growth driver for the Chennai-based two-wheeler manufacturer. Launched on September 16, 2021, the Raider has, in a span of 25 months, sold over 500,000 or half-a-million units in the domestic market till end-September 2023.

As per data gleaned from industry numbers released by SIAM, the TVS Raider has till end-September 2023 clocked cumulative wholesales of 544,398 units (see data table below).

The quick pace of consumer acceptance for the TVS Raider from Gen-Z motorcycle buyers can be seen in the fact that sales in the first six months of ongoing FY2024, at 228,268 units, are already 95% of the Raider’s entire FY2023 sales of 239,388 units. Average monthly sales in the first six months of FY2024 are 38,000 units and the Raider has quickly become the best-selling bike for TVS, ahead of the popular Apache series.

In H1 FY2024, TVS has sold a total of 584,784 motorcycles, up 44% (H1 FY2023: 404,927), which means the Raider, with 228,268 units, accounts for 39% of the company’s total bike sales, improving upon the 26% share it had in FY2023. Clearly, a very strong showing for a product yet to complete three years in the competitive domestic market. The Raider 125 has a fair number of rivals including the Bajaj Pulsar 125, Pulsar NS 125, Honda SP 125 and CB Shine, and the Hero Glamour and Super Splendor.

SPORTY STYLING DRAWS GEN-Z BIKE AFICIONADOS

Available in three variants (single seat, split seat and ZX), the Raider 125’s on-road Mumbai pricing starts at Rs 93,700 and goes up to Rs 100,800. One of the TVS Raider 125’s standout elements is its athletic-looking styling in the form of the muscular tank, snazzy headlight and minimalist tail-lamp, as also the split seat.

Clearly, the snazzy styling with more than a hint of sportiness, when compared to the staid designs of most of its rivals, seems to have paid dividends to the Raider 125. What seems to have drawn buyers to the TVS Raider 125 is also the number of features like daytime running lights, pass-light switch, pillion grabrail, pillion seat, pillion footrest, tripmeter, electric start and clock.

Voted Autocar India's Bike of the Year 2022, for its combination of striking looks, punchy engine and value-for-money proposition, the Raider 125 is powered by TVS’ potent 124.8cc engine, which develops 11.4hp and 11.2 Nm of torque, mated to a five-speed transmission. TVS claims this motorcycle, which is shod with 17-inch tyres, accelerates from 0-60kph in 5.9 seconds and goes on to hit a top speed of 99kph. Fuel efficiency is a claimed 67 kilometres per litre.

In October 2022, TVS launched the range-topping variant of its Raider 125 equipped with a 5-inch TFT cluster. The standard Raider 125 continues to have a digital LCD display. Equipping the Raider 125 with a five-inch TFT cluster has brought a whole new bunch of features. The TFT dash can be paired with the rider’s smartphone enabling receiving of notification alerts, weather forecast as well as turn-by-turn navigation. Also, when the low-fuel warning light comes on, the Raider 125 will automatically navigate to the nearest petrol station.

More recently, in a bid to add some pizzazz, TVS launched the Raider Super Squad Edition which draws on the company’s connect with the iconic Marvel Super Heroes – Black Panther and Iron Man. 

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