After struggling with the premium commuter segment for many years, Honda seems to have hit the nail on the head with the CB Hornet 160R. The Japanese manufacturer sold 4,772 units of the CB Hornet 160R in the last 20 days of December, which is over 4,200 units more than its sibling - the CB Unicorn 160.
While these numbers do demonstrate the CB Hornet 160R’s popularity, the decrease in sales figures of the CB Unicorn 160 is more down to production constraints at Honda’s manufacturing facilities. As of now, Honda can roll out only a limited number of 160cc motorcycles from the production lines.
With the CB Hornet 160R being a completely new motorcycle, the Japanese manufacturer had to compromise on the number of CB Unicorn 160s rolled out of the facility, which can be the reason for this sudden drop in the sales numbers. December also saw the annual shutdown as a part of the regular exercise to maintain its production lines across the different facilities, which further led to a shortage of inventory. This shutdown has also affected the sales of the Activa scooter, which saw a four per cent drop in sales numbers.
Honda’s new two-wheeler production facility in Gujarat is expected to be ready by February 2016, which should boost the company’s annual production capacity to 64 lakh units. This new facility should give a big impetus to the company, helping it meet the demand and eventually drive down the waiting list for its products. We can expect to get a clearer picture of the performance of the CB Hornet 160R and the CB Unicorn 160 by March or April, once this new facility becomes operational.
