Activa back in numero uno position; Honda doubles output

Honda's largest-selling two-wheeler Activa regained the numero uno spot amongst India’s best-selling two-wheelers in the first six months of the year.

The slowdown in the market notwithstanding, Honda has more than doubled production of Activa to meet demand, the Delhi-based company said in a release on October 23.

During the period April-September, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India, which is also the second largest two-wheeler maker in the country, sold 1.39 million units in the domestic market. This translated to five new customers every one minute.

During the same period, Hero Motocorp, the country's largest two-wheeler player, saw 1.37 million units sales of Splendor. The two rival brands have been in a stiff competition since the past few years.

It was in 2016-17 that Activa dethroned motorcycles from their 17-year reign as the top selling two-wheeler of India for the first time.

Following a slump in demand, motorcycles had sped past the growth of scooters last year. Yet Activa maintained its lead over Splendor during the majority of last year.

However, the Hero heavyweight regained its top spot in a few months of this year but ended behind the Activa during the first half of the year.

"The limited-edition Activa 5G created new excitement since start of its availability in June’19 with as many as 10 new premium style additions and 2 new dual-colour options. Honda has more than doubled its production plan to meet the overwhelming demand from all regions," Honda said.

Activa presently has a share of 56 percent in the scooter space.