Auto Sales 2024 - Honda Overtakes Hero

In what can be seen as a tectonic shift in the Indian two-wheeler market, Honda overtook Hero MotoCorp in monthly sales. The Japanese brand dispatched a total of 4,83,100 units in July, 2024 whereas Hero managed to dispatch just 3,70,274 units last month. Thus Honda managed to outsell Hero MotoCorp by a massive 1,12,826 units, which will sting the largest two-wheeler manufacturer in the country. Honda also had the upper hand with respect to exports as it shipped out 43,982 units in comparison to 22,739 of Hero MotoCorp. The drop in sales for Hero has been massive as it had sold 5,03,448 units last month whereas Honda managed 4,82,597 units. This isn’t the first occasion that Honda has managed to pip Hero as it had outsold it in April 2024 by 8,361 units.

Both the brands had a 26-year partnership which ended in 2011 when a split was announced. The Indo-Japanese collaboration shaped the Indian two-wheeler space with their frugal and reliable machines which were immensely popular and ensured a majority of Indians could afford a two-wheeler. Ever since the split, Honda has been eyeing the top spot and it came tantalizingly close to dethrone Hero on many occasions but it couldn’t do so. However, Honda taking the top step doesn’t come as a surprise given its year-to-date (YTD) sales.

The Japanese manufacturer managed to sell 20,36,292 units between April to July,2024 which is a massive 49.01% growth. Whereas in the same time period Hero dispatched 19,05,530 units a humble growth of 9.74% in comparison. For Hero, the drop in sales is courtesy the fall in motorcycle sales which forms the backbone of the brand. Competition in the commuter segment has been increasing a lot over the past few years as Honda introduced the Shine 100 and Bajaj has been clocking good sales with the Platina/CT100 and recently introduced the Freedom 125 CNG bike. On the other end, Honda Activa sales have been going strong and the motorcycles have further boosted Honda’s overall sales.

Despite having an upperhand in the EV two-wheeler space as it entered the market before Honda with the Vida series of electric scooters, Hero’s performance has been lackluster. Its traditional rivals such as TVS and Bajaj have performed exceptionally well whereas Ola leads the charge as the segment leader. Honda also has plans to launch the Activa electric by end of this year and if it manages to make a mark in the EV segment, complications for Hero will magnify further. For Hero to bounceback, it needs to revive sales of its commuter motorcycles and increase its market share in the scooter segment. On that note a new Hero scooter could make its India debut soon.