Hero MotoCorp at the Expo
Hero MotoCorp has a very strong strategy to maintain its leadership position in the Indian two-wheeler market. Sticking to their plans, the Gurgaon-based manufacturer will launch 15 new products over this year, beginning next month and carry on till March 2015. The company unveiled a few products before the Auto Expo and will debut the remaining at the event in February.
Many of these new offerings are expected hit the Indian market after the biennial event. Most of them will go on sale in the period from October to December considering it to be a good time to cash in the highest sales due to festive season.
Hero MotoCorp has been working on developing three new engine variants- 100cc, 110cc and 250cc. These have been designed and advanced at their own R&D center. Nearly all of the new products will be powered by these new powerplants.
Hero MotoCorp is going aggressive with their plans by developing new models for Indian buyers. The top officials of the company had promised that they would come up with 50 new products in the next three years. Last year, the manufacturer unveiled 15 new products from their portfolio but only the Splendor iSmart has made its way through to the dealerships. Hero will gradually start sales of the remaining models after showcasing them at the Auto Expo.
It should be noted that this would be the first time Hero will be participating independently at the Auto Expo after its separation from Honda. The products showcased by Hero will give everyone an idea of the road map Hero has paved for itself giving a glimpse of the future of the company. The largest two-wheeler manufacturer, not just in India but globally as well, will exhibit the concept as well production vehicles including scooters and motorcycles. What is worth mentioning is that the company will display the products developed in-house with assistance from its partners side by side thus revealing the company’s R&D efforts as well.
Hero MotoCorp has been showcasing lots of products but doesn’t seem to have thought of a particular time to hit the market. By building inquisitiveness, the company will surprise the customers as they did recently by unveiling five products at a time. This includes a first-in-segment 150cc diesel motorcycle RNT apart from the Dash Scooter, Leap SES electric scooter, CBZ Xtreme Sportz and the HX250R fully-faired sports bike.
The Xtreme Sports will reach the showrooms in the first quarter of the next fiscal whereas the Dash will premiere in the second quarter. The Leap Hybrid and HX250R, which are codenames for the time being, will be renamed and launched in the second half of this year.
All these products have been developed in collaboration with EBR and AVL. Pawan Munjal, MD and CEO, gave everyone an idea that the five unveilings were just a small preview of what the company will bring out in the future. All the bikes will be on display at the Auto Expo 2014. The only most probable new bike the company might launch at the Auto Expo is the 250cc Karizma that has been jointly developed with their American technology partner Erik Buell Racing (EBR).
Barring the exhibits, unveilings and launches, Hero will have riding experiences at the 2014 Auto Expo. These include showcasing stunts on the new Karizma R, Karizma ZMR, Xtreme and Impulse. Team Hero EBR of the Superbike World Championship will also be present at the biennial event.
