The Hero Splendor has outperformed the Honda Activa for the second straight month in November. Despite registering a 13 per cent drop over November 2015, the Splendor found 20,289 more customers than the Activa in the last month.
While the rest of the range also enjoys good demand, the Splendor range's performance has been spearheaded by the Hero Splendor Plus. Most of the customers buying this motorcycle are existing Splendor owners, who feel that technologies like i3S and auto headlamp on are overkill. These customers are satisfied with basic creature comforts like an electric start and alloy wheels. Though these features are also available in less expensive models, the Splendor Plus has now established a cult following among Indian two-wheeler buyers thanks to its reliability and fuel effiicency.
Two-wheeler sales dropped by almost 50 per cent within a few days of the announcement of demonetisation, though numbers have started to stabilise now. Manufacturers have been trying to attract customers with different schemes aimed at simplifying cashless transactions. While the Splendor range experienced a 13 per cent drop in demand, Activa sales fell by two per cent. It will be interesting to see for how long the Splendor will be able to hold on to the crown before the Activa strikes back.
