Hero to float new iSmart 110 engine across commuter range

After showcasing its all-new commuter, the Splendor iSmart 110 at the 2016 Auto Expo, the world’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer Hero MotoCorp is now ready to float the same engine across its bike range, revealed the company’s chief technology officer Markus Braunsperger to ZigWheels.

The former BMW man called the commuter segment the company’s ‘bread and butter’ and thus, despite imparting impetus to the premium segment, the company  looks determined to also get the basics right. The move to fit the iSmart 110cc engine beneath the fairing of other motorcycles also looks to be a part of the same strategy.

The freshly developed 110cc unit, which comes with the patented i3S technology, makes 9.1PS and 9Nm on the latest Splendor. It comes mated to a 4-speed transmission. In the Hero Splendor iSmart 110 promos shown at the Auto Expo, the bike was branded with the ‘Fill it, shut it and forget it’ tagline. The engine thus appears to be built to emulate the highly fuel efficient one on the Hero Honda CD100 with an almost 100 kmpl mileage.

Other engine details are still under wraps but expect it to be top-notch on NVH and city performance. The system works when you depress the clutch the engine starts if the start-stop system is on. The system can be turned off too.

Talking of the Hero Splendor cousins that could get this fresh powertrain, we suspect the Hero Passion range as a likely recipient. The Hero Passion XPro that currently comes with a 4-stroke single cylinder 109.1cc engine would welcome the iSmart 110cc engine with arms wide open. While the Super Splendor has been in the midst of strong rumours suggesting the introduction of the iSmart technology soon, we won’t be surprised if it also gets the iSmart 110cc engine altogether.

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It was the focus on high fuel efficiency that catapulted the sales of Hero’s top bikes like the Splendor and CD100 in the previous years, paving the path for it to become the world’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer. And with the company’s new strategy to float the highly fuel efficient iSmart 110cc engine across the bike range, it would expect history to repeat yet again.