Honda Activa sells over 2 million units in April-October 2017

Confirming Autocar Professional’s projections in its report dated 31 October 2017, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) has now issued an official communication that its bestselling brand, Honda Activa, has now sold more than two million units in the first seven months of the ongoing fiscal.

According to the company, the Activa, which is also India’s largest selling two-wheeler brand, has cumulatively sold 20,40,134 units during April-October 2017 period, thereby contributing about 17 percent to the domestic two-wheeler sales.

“While it took 7 years since its launch (2001 to 2008) for Activa to delight 20 lakh Indian families, the latest 20 lakh customers (2,040,134 unit sales) have joined in just 7 months from April to October 2017. This makes the Honda Activa the only brand in the Indian two-wheeler industry to achieve the feat in 7 months. Today, a new family is buying an Activa scooter every nine seconds,” quotes a press release from HMSI.

Commenting on the Activa’s brand popularity in India, Yadvinder Singh Guleria, senior vice- president – Sales and Marketing, HMSI said, “The Activa continues to lead as the highest selling two-wheeler of India. Now led by the Activa, India is getting scooterised like never before. Activa’s unprecedented popularity as the most preferred two-wheeler brand is due to its continued evolution ahead of times in terms of advanced features, unisex styling, mileage and convenience. Now, as scooterisation has started making rapid inroads in semi-urban and rural areas, Honda is confident that the Activa will continue to grow.”

Honda had first launched the Activa scooter in 2001 and it reportedly sold close to 55,000 units in that year. The model came powered with an air-cooled, single-cylinder, 102cc engine 17 years ago. According to the company, the end CY2005, Activa had crossed cumulative sales of one million units.  It continued to grow as it achieved cumulative sales of five million units and later ten million units in 2012 and 2015 respectively.

Over the years, the Honda Activa scooter has evolved on design and styling and mechanical fronts. The Activa umbrella now consists of three models – Activa 4G, Activa i (positioned at urban female commuters) and Activa 125, which is sold in three variants. These models are now offered in two engine options: 8bhp-109cc and 8.52bhp-125cc powertrains.

Autocar Professional estimates that the Activa 4G variant, which retails with a price tag of Rs 52,238 (ex-showroom, Pune), contributes with bulk sales every month to overall Honda Activa sales.

The domestic scooter market now constitutes about 34 percent of the total two-wheeler market in India, all thanks to the ever-growing popularity of the Honda Activa brand, which commands a similar trust among scooter buyers in the growing second-hand two-wheeler market.