Mahindra Centuro vs Splendor iSmart

Just a couple of days ago we reported that the Honda Activa has beaten the Hero Splendor in July sales, well it turns out, the Splendor is still ahead of the Japanese scooter. The sales figures we received earlier had Activa sales (all variants including the 125cc version) while the sales figures of the Splendor excluded the Super Splendor. After adding Super Splendor figures, the Hero bike is clearly ahead with a July 2014 sales figure of 1,93,442 units. Meanwhile the Activa sold 1,91,879 units. The difference isn’t much but the “Fill It, Shut It” bike maintains its pole position yet again.

Hero MotoCorp continues to lead the 2-wheeler industry in India, selling the most number of motorcycles by a big margin at 4,62,626 units. Honda is the current number two in motorcycle sales and managed to sell 1,48,062 units, almost 35% sales coming from the Dream series at 45,779 units. Honda is the leader in scooter sales, selling 2,15,925 units while Hero only sold 52,792 scooters last month, around 60% sales coming from the Maestro. Honda manages to outsell Hero in the 150cc segment while the latter outsells its former partner in the premium segment (200-250cc).

Honda wants to be the number one 2-wheeler manufacturer in India and is doing everything it can to beat Hero. However, it’s clear that Honda’s success is solely relied on the Activa brand alone as majority of the company’s sales come from this scooter. The Splendor is cheaper than the Activa and has significantly more fuel efficiency too but people still prefer to buy the Activa, a clear sign that comfort and convenience is preferred over mileage in the entry-level segment. The third most selling 2-wheeler in India is the Passion at 1,16,302 units, followed by the HF Dawn/Deluxe at 90,036 units.

2013 Honda Activa-i Test Ride Review