Honda has the maximum number of models listed on the least selling two wheelers list while Mahindra, Suzuki and TVS have two products listed each.
Despite the erratic rural demand leading to the overall slowdown in volumes, the two-wheeler space is still a good segment to be in as sales continue to be promising in the long term. As the two-wheeler industry grew by 0.73 percent during the past two months, experts suggest that the 2015-16 financial year will see the sector grow by over 5 percent. That said, there are still some products that have not been able to catch the attention of the consumer largely due to better competition or the sheer ignorance of the parent company. With numbers out for the previous month, we take a look at the least selling two-wheelers for May 2015 (locally manufactured as big bikes and motorcycles coming via the CKD route haven’t been included).
Observations –
1) Despite being one of the few manufacturers that were able to churn out a positive sales result last month, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) has the maximum number of products in the least sold two-wheelers list for May 2015. The CB Twister was the least selling two-wheeler with 11 units moving out of showrooms, while the CB Trigger with just 41 units sold has been cannibalised by the new CB Unicorn 160 that is eating into its sales. The Twister though will soon be replaced by the new Livo that is expected to regain the sales momentum for Honda.
2) The CB Stunner was another low selling product with just 193 units sold last month. Honda’s ignorance in the premium space is certainly showing up on the leaderboard, as the CBR250R continues to do paltry numbers with jut 319 units moved out in May this year. The very potent CBR150R while not on the list has ended up on the eleventh spot with 692 units sold last month. Both the CBR models are in a need of resurrection (done internationally but not brought to India yet) from the company as the respective segments are doing well for other manufacturers.
3) TVS has otherwise a strong lineup of products that do well, but two of its models have been overlooked in the past month. The Chennai based automaker sold a maximum of 85 units of the entry-level Max 4R that essentially caters to the rural markets alone. The Scooty Streak, on the other hand, sold a mere 529 units this May, but largely due to the relatively new Pep+ eating into its sales. The company’s all-new Scooty Zest is doing well otherwise.
4) Despite the Gixxer’s success, Suzuki still has some catching up to do in the mass market space as the Slingshot sold 107 units and the GS150R sold just 43 units. These bikes continue to post disappointing numbers. Both the models compete in extremely competitive segments and the Japanese auto giant needs to rework on its strategy for the commuter space.
5) With the Gusto doing an appreciable 5011 units, Mahindra’s older scooters are easily being overlooked as the Duro managed to retail 89 units in the past month. The Indian auto giant’s entry-level motorcycle, the Pantero is largely forgotten as well with just 45 units sold. The Centuro though does better numbers in comparison but still is losing sales month-on-month, which is a grave concern for the automaker.
6) Few notable mentions out of the list include the Hero Karizma that continues to pay the price of bad styling and sold a bare 819 units in May, as compared to the 2740 units sold during the same month last year. Another almost forgotten product now, the Impulse continues to do zero units month-on-month in Hero MotoCorp’s stable, making us not even put it in the least selling table. Other than the Impulse, there is no other Hero bike in the list.
