Hero Xtreme 200S to launch this fiscal

Hero MotoCorp has lined up quite a few launches for this fiscal year as well as the next. The world’s largest two-wheeler manufaturer will be starting off things with the Xtreme 200S and Aava 125 scooter (showcased as the Dare 125 at the 2014 Auto Expo) that are scheduled for a launch by the end of this financial year.

Hero will be launching two more scooters in the next fiscal year in a move to enhance its leadership position. The Hero Xtreme 200S will come powered by a 200cc single-cylinder, air-cooled engine that makes 18.6 HP of power and 17.2 Nm of torque. The Xtreme 200S comes suspended via telescopic forks up front and a monoshock at the rear. The market seems to be heading to 300c bikes and above with both Bajaj and TVS betting big on the Dominar 400 and Apache 310 respectively.

Disc brakes at both the ends will take care of braking duties and the Xtreme 200S is expected to come with optional ABS. When launched, the Xtreme 200S will rival the likes of the TVS Apache 200, Bajaj Pulsar NS 200 and KTM Duke 200. While Hero is entering this segment now, its rivals are far ahead with the Pulsar NS 200 being launched in 2012 and the Apache 200 in 2016. The bigger issue is, there is nothing that stands out on the Xtreme 200S and it is going to be the slowest bike in the segment.

Meanwhile, Hero MotoCorp still continues to lead the domestic motorcycle market with over 50 percent share but in the scooter segment, it stands third (at 12 percent market share) behind Honda and TVS which have approximately 60 per cent and 15 per cent market share respectively. As per the latest SIAM data, Hero MotoCorp sold 24,22,650 two-wheelers in the April-July period, while Honda followed with sales of 19,90,438 two-wheelers. Scooters have been leading the sales for Honda, while it is motorcycles that contribute to Hero’s sales numbers.