Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI), the country’s second-largest two-wheeler company, announced plans to expand and localise its premium motorcycle range in India. The move aims to capitalise on the strong growth of the premium segment, targeting young and aspirational buyers. HMSI's strategy involves bringing more global premium models to Indian factories, enhancing local production capabilities, according to livemint.com.
The company’s president, Tsutsumu Otani, highlighted the intent to deepen localisation efforts if the premium segment’s growth trajectory continues. HMSI faces stiff competition from rivals such as TVS Motor Company, Hero MotoCorp, and Bajaj Auto, all of which are aggressively pursuing the same demographic of young consumers seeking aspirational motorcycles. The localisation push is expected to reduce costs and improve supply chain efficiencies for Honda’s premium offerings in India.
The premium motorcycle market in India has been expanding rapidly, driven by increasing disposable incomes and changing consumer preferences. Honda’s localisation strategy aligns with broader industry trends where manufacturers aim to produce more models domestically to avoid import duties and better tailor products to local tastes. This approach also supports India’s Make in India initiative, which encourages domestic manufacturing and export growth in the automotive sector.
Honda’s plans to increase localisation of premium motorcycles come as the company seeks to strengthen its position in India’s competitive two-wheeler market. The next milestone will be the launch of new locally produced premium models, expected within the next fiscal year, which will test the company’s ability to capture a larger share of the growing premium segment, livemint.com reported.