Hero MotoCorp Regains Wholesale Crown from Honda

Hero MotoCorp, the world's largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters, has recovered the title of No.1 in India's two-wheeler market after temporarily losing its wholesale market leadership to Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) in February.

According to the company's latest numbers, Hero MotoCorp sold 549,604 units of motorcycles and scooters in March 2025, reflecting a robust 12% growth compared to the same month last year. The company dispatched 506,641 motorcycles and 42,963 scooters to dealers nationwide.

This comes after a challenging February when HMSI overtook Hero MotoCorp in monthly dispatches to the domestic market. While Hero dispatched 357,000 units in February, Honda delivered 384,000 units, claiming the top spot for that month.

However, despite the February setback in wholesale figures, Hero MotoCorp maintained its leadership position in retail sales during the same month, indicating strong consumer demand for its products at the dealership level.

The company's global business also showed strength in March, with exports reaching 39,518 units in March 2025, marking a 27% growth over March 2024. This was the highest-ever monthly dispatch figure for Hero's international operations.

Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India is yet to report its March numbers, leaving the question of which manufacturer will claim the top spot for the month still unanswered. UPDATE: Honda shipped a total of 4.27 lakh units in March.

The competition between these two-wheeler giants has intensified in recent months, with Honda significantly narrowing the gap with Hero MotoCorp during this financial year. Prior to February, Honda had briefly outpaced Hero in monthly domestic sales during July and August 2024.

For the full financial year 2024-25, Hero MotoCorp reported total sales of 5.9 million units, with domestic sales accounting for 5.61 million units. The company has maintained its market leadership for 24 consecutive years and has now extended this leadership momentum into the 25th year.

Hero's recovery in March was supported by strong performance across segments, including its highest-ever electric vehicle (EV) sales through the VIDA brand, which dispatched 7,787 units of its electric scooter in March alone.

The company has also made significant strides in the premium segment with over 11,000 units of the Harley-Davidson X440 sold during FY'25, and recently commenced bookings for the highly anticipated Xpulse 210 and Xtreme 250R premium motorcycles.

As both companies continue to compete for market dominance, the two-wheeler sector in India remains one of the most dynamic and competitive automobile segments globally.