The performance bike segment continues to be led by TVS and Bajaj with their respective models while the Yamaha R15 also boasts of appreciable volumes.
While December may be a holiday season for most, the month usually turns out to be gloomy for automakers due to the dull year end sales. The last month wasn’t exactly dull for several manufacturers as volumes surprisingly picked up for certain offerings whereas a few models did exceptionally well on the sales front. Most impressive of all turned out to be the TVS Apache model range that raked a 0.11 percent hike in sales retaining the top spot. Having sold 20,599 units, the numbers are still lower than the previous month’s average but consistent nevertheless.
That said, the TVS Apache is expected to bounce back in February as the new RTR 200 4V is all set to be launched and will help rake in the numbers. Up next, Bajaj Auto’s bet on the new Avenger has turned out to pay impressively well and the Avenger 220 individually sold 10,948 units, an impressive 16 percent growth. Not only are those the best ever sales figures for the Avenger but have also eaten into the market share of the Pulsar 220F with the latter witnessing a 38 percent drop in volumes moving down to the fourth spot with 3889 units. This is the second major drop for the 220 since November 2015.
Bajaj also saw a 30 percent decline for the Pulsar 180 and 200cc models with the bikes cumulatively doing 4384 units and saw a 30 percent decline on a month-on-month basis. Apart from the Apache and Avenger, the other surprising model to do well turned out to be the Yamaha R15 with 2464 units sold. The numbers escalated by 34 percent after witnessing a drop in November. This certainly goes out to show the appreciation consumers have towards good products.
Honda India is still down on its luck in the performance motorcycle space as both the CBR150R and CBR250R are doing way below the expected numbers. The CBR150R saw a 22 percent drop in volumes with 535 units sold while the CBR250R saw numbers come down to 143 units, witnessing a decline of 10 percent over the previous month. Lastly, Hero dealers are moving out to the last units of the Karizma it seems with 143 units sold in December. While Honda and Hero may not be performing as expected, the Auto Expo is expected to see some major announcements from both manufacturers on their respective models.
