[dZired]

Hero MotoCorp has removed a total of 10 bikes from its Indian website, sparking rumours regarding the discontinuation of the said models. This line-up trimming has likely been done after taking into account the depleting sales figures of the said models.

The Hero Karizma R has been dropped from the portfolio, while its fully-faired sibling - the Karizma ZMR is still on sale. The Hunk and Xtreme have also been removed from the website, while the relatively newer Xtreme Sports continues to be on sale. Other bikes shed from Hero's website include the HF Dawn, Splendor iSmart (100 cc), Splendor NXG, Splendor Pro Classic, Passion Plus, Passion xPro and Ignitor.

Meanwhile, the company's scooter portfolio, which includes the Maestro Edge, Duet and Pleasure, has been left unchanged. Hero MotoCorp is yet to officially announce whether all the de-listed models have been discontinued, or the company will re-launch them with some updates, including BS-IV compliant engines.

Source: Autocar India

Link to Team-BHP News

[Porschefire]

Yawn..! What!!?? Hero still sells motorbikes???

Ever since I sold my ZMR back in 2013, I've been hardly kept myself updated about Hero's existence in India. I was lucky to be a part of the media at the Auto Expo 2014 and out of the zillion stickered and useless variants of Splendor/Passion, there stood the HX250R and the Hastur which got me really really excited. 3yrs have passed since and no signs of those bikes. Honestly, I don't understand and neither do the boffins at Hero as to where the company is headed. Getting your name in the Dakar sure is nice but does it really help in brand building is anyone's guess. I might know atleast 50 people who'd buy the Impulse (albeit with a >200cc mill) in a heartbeat but no, Hero's happy with its "powerful" 100cc offerings!

There are three types of manufacturers according to me ->

1) Have <5 good products in its portfolio with a couple of them being strong performers.

2) Have a slew of products in its portfolio and hope a couple hit the target every month.

3) Either 1 or 2 but under perform every month.

Hero (and the Maruti of yore up to a certain extent) belong to category 2. I feel the move to reduce its portfolio is a good one as it provides the company amply time and finance to develop new platforms. I do hope this is the direction Hero is moving rather than introduce an even uglier version of the ZMA!

[Amit_breakfree]

A good riddance in my opinion.

All the bikes which have removed from the website were either not doing well or have been too long in the tooth for the company.

The new Karizma R never took off, while Hunk and Xtreme have been in the market for too long. Similar was the case of Ignitor (Stunner's cousin).

I sincerely hope that these bikes have been put to rest and should not be relaunched with updated BS4 engines because they will not bring anything new to the table.

Hero is still focusing on 100cc segment but why it shouldn't be, because the consumers want the same and the company is earning profit by selling the same age old models.

As a owner of CBZ Xtreme, I want the company to do well and move ahead in the value chain.

Hero should launch a couple of competitive 150cc, 200cc bikes. They can resurrect Karizma and CBZ but they will have to be ahead that the competition because the market has moved far ahead while Hero was napping.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by Porschefire

Auto Expo 2014 and out of the zillion stickered and useless variants of Splendor/Passion, there stood the HX250R and the Hastur which got me really really excited.

The brilliant ZIR scooter as well.

Originally Posted by Porschefire

Neither do the boffins at Hero as to where the company is headed.

True. The company looks truly directionless for now, churning out only irrelevant versions of their best seller, and nothing more in the pipeline!

[NiInJa]

Honda is catching up fast in 100 and 125CC capacity bikes. I wonder how many more years Hero will sell the same old models.

The only worthy product that Hero have in their lineup is the Maestro Edge, but then again they dont seem to learn from their mistakes and seem to be comfortable with sticker jobs. The dont even have a disc brake variant if I am not mistaken.

[Urban_Nomad]

Originally Posted by dZired

The Hero Karizma R has been dropped from the portfolio, while its fully-faired sibling - the Karizma ZMR is still on sale. The Hunk and Xtreme have also been removed from the website, while the relatively newer Xtreme Sports continues to be on sale. Other bikes shed from Hero's website include the HF Dawn, Splendor iSmart (100 cc), Splendor NXG, Splendor Pro Classic, Passion Plus, Passion xPro and Ignitor.

So basically ... Splendor's multiple sticker + bling jobs and a couple more bikes. Their sticker department must be hard at work trying to come up with a "new bike"

[motorpsycho]

Many motorcycle touring enthusiasts swear by the impulse, however the only gripe they have is the low displacement, Hero already had a 200+ CC engine, wonder what prevented them from shoehorning it into the impulse.

I also had a lot of hope on the Erik Buell tie-up, too bad that too fell apart.

[Urban_Nomad]

Impulse is based on a Honda design (NXR bros). AFAIK, hero contractually cannot make changes to the basic design laid down by Honda, including the engine

Besides, hero wouldn't have bothered either way. They are a lazy, splendor churning, sticker pasting company without imagination or enthusiasm

[HammerHead]

To all those who think Hero MotoCorp knows nothing about Indian two wheeler market, please take a look at this link.

http://auto.economictimes.indiatimes...-2016/56491780

They are 'Maruti-Suzuki' of the two wheeler world.

[aravind.anand]

Originally Posted by HammerHead

To all those who think Hero MotoCorp knows nothing about Indian two wheeler market, please take a look at this link.

http://auto.economictimes.indiatimes...-2016/56491780

They are 'Maruti-Suzuki' of the two wheeler world.

Sales, is just one of the things though. Hero might have huge volumes and profits, but it is no secret that they haven't made any big impact outside of the 100cc class.

Their offering in the 125cc, both the Ignitor (Hero's version of Honda CBF125 / Stunner) the Glamour have pathetic sales. That segment belongs to Honda Shine and to a small extent Bajaj's Discover.

In the 150cc segment, no one remembers their Hunk / CBZ Extreme. While Pulsars, FZs, Apaches and Gixxers are all widely accepted.

We all know how Hero ruined the good looking and sporty Karizma, I don't think I need to point out how they fare, against the new 200cc champs from rival camps.

And ugh !! They have showcased a horrible looking 200cc concept. I just hope someone in their Management / marketing team takes some strong decisions now, to stop that from launching and save themselves from some embarrassment..!



So, let's just say that they know the 100cc segment, and the volumes game. They certainly do not know the Indian two wheeler market

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by HammerHead

They are 'Maruti-Suzuki' of the two wheeler world.

No. IMO, they are not. Not even close to the Maruti Suzuki of 2017.

1. Because they are under threat from HMSI and have been loosing market share to Honda.
2. Because they are dependant only on few volume sellers, as against Maruti Suzuki which has 7/10 top selling models every month.

3. Doesn't hold the undisputed No.1 selling model position anymore with Honda Activa overtaking it every few months.
4. Unlike Maruti Suzuki which is bigger than the parent company and the parent throws everything at it, Hero is on it's own and struggling for good partners.

5. Has failed to establish themselves beyond the 100 - 110cc segment.
6. No clear future roadmap of direction.

7. No distinct brand recognition after the split as Hero Honda was a household name and now it retains only the weaker half of it.

If at all you would like to associate them with MS, I would say - it's the Maruti Suzuki that once was - a decade ago, before the launch of the Swift and when it seemed like Hyundai, Honda and GM were going to be tough on them and MS would be unable to grow out of the small car segment.

[Arjan]

What a lot of people don't know is that there are a lot of factors not visible from outside, that have contributed to the gradual decline of Hero MotoCorp's supremacy:

(a) the company Hero MotoCorp partnered up with (after split from Honda) for their R&D needs: EBR, went bankrupt soon after; thus, leaving their R&D program in shreds
(b) Hero was and still is under constant threat from Honda's lawyers, regarding what technology they can use in their "Hero" monikered two-wheelers, without paying them royalty fees; hence, the gradual termination of several models
(c) Hero's CTO, Markus Braunsperger (ex-BMW motorcycles) is having a hard time adjusting to non-premium two-wheeler world, and IMHO, has done a piss poor job ever since he joined
(d) Hero's inclination towards square engines, has them focused on durability, high torque in mid-range & fuel efficiency - resulting in engines that are not rev-happy or performance oriented, which is exactly what the current generation of Indians are looking for

Rest assured, Hero MotoCorp is diligently working towards refining its portfolio, despite challenges in their R&D dept. While we shouldn't expect them to drastically change direction, we shall surely see a new model in their quarter-litre segment, along with several others - which could very well decide their fate.

[nishsingh]

Reminds me of the time when a colleague of mine was confused between the three bikes he had finalized:
1. Splendor
2. Splendor Plus
3. Super Splendor

I guess this move would help such people!

[CarCynic]

Like other have mentioned, Honda is catching up fast and I think Hero is doomed. The only advantage they have for now is a widespread service network and perhaps slightly lower prices.

It has been 6 years since they took Honda out of their name but have't managed to take Honda out of their products or at least infuse some new vigor in the brand. There has been zero innovation.

I own a 30 year old CD100 and had a soft corner in my heart for the company. But I think the only exciting products in the last 20 years were CBZ, Karizma, and Impulse (underpowered).


No offence to any fans and owners but Splendor Classic is a joke. They could do so much more with the resources that they have but they choose to be satisfied selling umpteen version of Splendors and Passions, banking on brand equity that was build more than 20 years ago.

[abijithmenon]

Originally Posted by Arjan

Hero's inclination towards square engines, has them focused on durability, high torque in mid-range & fuel efficiency - resulting in engines that are not rev-happy or performance oriented, which is exactly what the current generation of Indians are looking for

Yes, the current generation is looking for a rev happy performance bike; but their feasibility post purchase (fuel economy, reliability, service costs) still plays a big mind game in India. While many aspire for higher displacement bikes and premium brands; when it boils down to the actual purchase, economics and hard hitting reality pushes people to the Hero's and Bajaj's. And for the average Indian, a motorcycle is still a commuting device and the many variants of Splendour does the work perfectly. We have all seen people proudly present their CT100's and Platinas for giving them a 100 a litre.

And yes, the same guys grow older, gets their first Maruti and would most probably add an Activa for their urban runabouts. I think Hero is doing what it does best; being the first bike for millions of Indians while still exploring and trying different things in the segments above to see if something clicks.

Adding to the Maruti comparison above, will a premium Hero ever sell huge numbers? Even Maruti has struggled consistently while hitting above its belt; Kizashi, S-Cross etc. are fine examples. IMO, Hero would most probably focus on the scooter segment and try to keep drawing the "premium aspirants" to a blingy Splendour.