The company, which forayed into the premium bike segment in 2023 with the Harley-Davidson 440X and followed it up with the Hero Mavrick 440 last year, currently has a 13% share of this middleweight motorcycle category with sale of 8,974 Harleys and 3,214 Mavrick 440s in the first nine months of FY2025.
30 Jan 2025 | 5037 Views | By Ajit Dalvi
Motorcycle and commuter bike market leader Hero MotoCorp’s diversification into the premium middleweight motorcycle segment is beginning to pay off. The company, which manufactures the Harley-Davidson X440 and the X440-based Hero Mavrick 440, has sold 12,188 units of these two models in the April-December 2024 period. This constitutes a year-on-year ...
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Motorcycle and commuter bike market leader Hero MotoCorp’s diversification into the premium middleweight motorcycle segment is beginning to pay off. The company, which manufactures the Harley-Davidson X440 and the X440-based Hero Mavrick 440, has sold 12,188 units of these two models in the April-December 2024 period. This constitutes a year-on-year increase of 77% (April-December 2024: 6,862 units) and gives Hero MotoCorp a 13% share of this premium segment.
The year-ago sales of 6,862 units comprised only the Harley-Davidson 440X, which was launched in July 2023. The X440 is the first premium motorcycle to be introduced under the licensing agreement between Hero MotoCorp and Harley-Davidson, marking their foray into the 440cc segment for the first time in India.
The co-developed made-in-India Harley rolls out of Hero’s Garden Factory at Neemrana in Rajasthan. The H-D X440, which has three variants – Denim (Rs 239,000), Vivid (Rs 269,000) and S (R 279,000, ex-showroom India) – has sold a total of 8,974 units in April-December 2024, up 31% YoY.
The Hero Mavrick 440, Hero MotoCorp’s first motorcycle spawned off the Harley-Davidson platform, was launched in February 2024. Available in three variants – Base (Rs 199,000), Mid (Rs 214,000) and Top (Rs 224,000, ex-showroom India) – the Mavrick has sold 3,214 units in the first nine months of FY2025.
Common to both the middleweight motorcycles is the 440cc oil-cooled, long-stroke BS VI (OBD II) and E20-compliant engine, which develops maximum power of 27bhp and 38 Nm of torque.
As per SIAM wholesales data for the first nine months of FY2025, the 350cc to 500cc motorcycle segment clocked total sales of 92,881 units, up 36% YoY (April-December 2023: 68,031 units).
Bajaj Auto, with its clutch of bikes under the Dominar, Husqvarna, KTM, Pulsar and Triumph brands, is the category leader with 47,766 units (up 51% YoY) and a 51% market share. Bajaj’s performance is believed to have got a boost from the stellar market performance of Triumph motorcycles. Royal Enfield with 29,519 units, comprising the Himalayan 450 and Guerilla 450, accounts for a 32% segment share. While Piaggio sold 2,879 units of the Aprilia RS, India Kawasaki Motors dispatched 346 bikes and Honda sold 183 units of the CB500.
In the current fiscal, the 350cc-500cc motorcycle segment constitutes just 1% of the total 94,42,637 motorcycles sold between April and December 2024. However, the strong double-digit YoY growth is a pointer to the rising demand for premium two-wheelers.
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