Honda Overtakes Hero In September Retail Sales

Ever since the split between erstwhile partners Hero and Honda happened over a decade back, both brands have been striving hard for market domination. Against what many experts predicted post the split, Hero MotoCorp went from strength to strength and dominated the Indian two-wheeler market. Honda hadn’t thrown in the towel and worked hard in expanding manufacturing plants to gain the necessary volume to overtake Hero. 2024 has been all about this battle royale with respect to sales and while Honda did manage to pip Hero MotoCorp with respect to monthly dispatch, in terms of retail sales Hero had the lead until last month.

Based on the latest Vahan retail data, the Japanese two-wheeler giant managed to sell 3,34,034 units in September, 2024 in comparison to 2,71,465 units managed by Hero MotoCorp. This means, Honda managed to beat Hero by a massive margin of 62,569 units. However, this wasn’t the first occasion that Honda outsold Hero as it had done so back in September, 2022 when the market was recovering from the COVID pandemic. The above sales performance might ring alarm bells at Hero but when one looks at the overall picture, the brand still remains in a commanding position. In the current fiscal year Hero MotoCorp retailed 24,52,202 units as compared to 22,73,423 units by Honda.

The drop in Hero sales could be due to weakening demand for its commuters or because of optimising inventory levels at dealerships prior to the festive season rush. Hero still relies on the Splendor and other 100 cc commuters to form bulk of its sales, whereas Honda is dependent on the Activa and the Shine 125 range. The Shine 100 has helped the Japanese brand expand its commuter sales, whereas for Hero MotoCorp, scooter sales have been dwindling thereby reducing its market share. However, Hero will be banking on the upcoming festive season to revive its sales and claw back its crown as the numero uno motorcycle brand with respect to sales. Which brand rules the roost post the festive season will be found out soon, but one thing is for sure, this fierce contest between erstwhile partners will have many twists and turns in the coming future.