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Top five Motorcycle Companies in India – Bike Brands, Manufacturers

Top five Motorcycle Companies in India

Perhaps, India is one of the very few countries from around the world where almost every 2nd individual possesses a two wheeler. The segment grew by 12.9 percent in 2014, and proved as lifeline for the automobile sector. Let’s take a look at top five bike companies or brands in India.

Hero MotoCorp

As far as number of units manufactured, Hero Moto Corp is world’s largest two-wheeler maker. The company has recently made it in headlines by creating world’s most fuel efficient bike called Splendor iSmart. The bike offers mileage of around one hundred two KMPL.

Hero’s Splendor brand bikes are most selling motorcycles in the Indian market, and its only serious competitor is not a bike, but Honda’s Activa scooter.

The company began as Hero Honda, back in 1984, and was joint venture inbetween Japan’s Honda Motors and India’s Hero Cycles. Hero and Honda split in 2010, and turned each other’s competitors.

Some of Hero’s popular bikes are Splendor, Achiever, Glamour, Passion, Karizma, CBZ, Hunk and CD series bikes. The auto maker also manufactures Maestro and Pleasure scooters. The company is still wielded and managed by its original founders, the Munjal family.

Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India

Honda Activa is the very first name that comes in almost every Indian’s mind whenever he or she starts thinking about buying a two wheeler. HMSI (Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India) sells two lakh units of its Activa scooter in India each month.

The company predominated Indian scooter market for the very first time in 1980s by joining mitts with Kinetic Engineering Limited and launching Kinetic Honda gear-less Scooters. This partnership lasted from one thousand nine hundred eighty four to 1998. Later, Kinetic was acquired by Mahindra Motors, and the game was over for Kinetic. On the other mitt, Honda began manufacturing and selling its own scooter- Honda Activa from year two thousand in the Indian market, and regained its lost position in the scooter segment.

At the same time, the company continued its tie-up with Hero, and kept on selling motorcycles in Indian under the brand name Hero Honda. In December 2010, Hero Moto Corp and Honda Motors Japan determined to end their partnership, and the company was renamed from Hero Honda to Hero Moto Corp. On the other arm, Honda commenced selling its own bikes like Unicorn, Shine, CBR 150R, CBR 250R, CB Trigger, Fantasy Yuga, etc.

Presently, the company’s Unicorn and Shine brand bikes are best sellers. The bike maker is all set to capture the market with Desire Yuga and Neo. The company’s motorcycle sales growth is slow, but there is no reason for the company to worry, as it already leads the scooter market since last decade.

Bajaj Auto

Bajaj auto not only manufactures two wheelers, but three and four wheelers as well. Bajaj’s founder Jamnalal Bajaj established the company in Rajasthan during 1930s. Today, Bajaj auto is considered India’s third largest two wheeler seller.

The company’s vehicles ruled country’s streets from 1960s to 1990s. Scooters like Bajaj Chetak, Priya, and Vespa one hundred fifty were some of the best sellers. During the end of 90s, scooters lost battle against motorcycles. People embarked buying bikes instead of scooters, but Bajaj was quick to suggest bikes as well. Presently, the auto maker’s portfolio has some of country’s best selling bikes like Pulsar, Detect, Avenger, and Platina. Now, the company is all set to suggest fresh variants of CT100 and Platina to place itself better in the 100cc bike segment.

Bajaj Auto also manufactures KTM Duke, and Kawasaki Ninja series bikes. These pro racing bikes are sold in various countries around the world. Bajaj also predominates auto-rickshaw segment.

India Yamaha Motor

India Yamaha Motor is Indian division of Yamaha Motor Company, Japan. The company controls four percent of Indian motorcycle market and around 7.Five percent of country’s scooter market. India Yamaha sells around 15,000 scooters per month.

Some of the company’s popular bikes are R15, Fazer, FZ16, SZ-X, SS 125, YBR 125, YBR 110, and Crux. The company was recently in the headlines by launching YZF R1M and R1 racing super bikes. YZF-R1M comes with price tag of Rs 29, 00,000, plus taxes, while R1 is priced around Rs 22, 00,000.

The company has several fresh products in line, and suggests that India will prove to be among its top five markets by next year.

TVS Motor Company

TVS was founded in one thousand eight hundred seventy seven by T. V. Sundaram Iyengar in Madras. Originally, the company was in the insurance, finance, and automobile sector. Since 1955, the company began focusing more on automobile. It came in the limelight for the very first time during 1980s when it joined palms with Suzuki Motors and launched bikes like Suzuki Fiero, Suzuki Shogun, and Suzuki Samurai.

Its Scooty brand is predominant the scooterette segment since almost two decades. The brand still remains to be very first choice for college women, and working women. Company’s scooters like TVS Wego and Jupiter also manage to attract thousands of users every month. TVS is leisurely emerging in Indian auto rickshaw segment and is providing rough fight to Bajaj.

Other than above motorcycle manufacturers there are other brands that are swift catching up like Royal Enfield, Suzuki, Piaggio, Harley-Davidson, Triumph Motorcycles, Mahindra two Wheelers etc.

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