Honda aiming to dethrone Hero by 2020

Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) is aiming to become the market leader in Indian two-wheeler industry by 2020. The company is confident about getting a competitive advantage over its rivals when the industry moves to stringent BS-VI emission norms in 2020.

Speaking about company’s plans, Shinji Aoyama, co-chief officer, regional operations (Asia and Oceania), Honda, said, "As far as Honda is concerned we are pretty confident with what we are going to do with BS-VI. I believe we can be more competitive than other brands. That is why we may have the potential to be number one." While he refused to comment on projections for 2020, he said that the necessity to introduce better technologies in two-wheelers to improve emissions will benefit Honda. Besides, it would also open opportunities for increasing export numbers by adding more international markets to the list. 

Honda is currently the second largest player in the Indian two-wheeler industry, while its former joint venture partner, Hero MotoCorp, continues to enjoy the top spot. However, Honda has been covering ground very rapidly in the past two years. It boasts of having the highest selling two-wheeler in the Indian market, the Activa. It also enjoys a 59 per cent market share in the scooter segment. The motorcycle sales are the second largest for any manufacturer in India. In the current year, Honda is projecting sales of 60 lakh units, up from 47.25 lakh units in the previous year.