Clash Of The Titans: Honda Came THIS Close To Beating Hero In Sales

Two-wheelers are quite essential in India, and almost every family has one. It is their main mode of transportation on a day-to-day basis. Hero MotoCorp and Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India have capitalised on this need really well, and have become the two largest manufacturers in the country. In the previous financial year (April 2024 to March 2025) Hero MotoCorp won the bragging rights to being the best-selling two-wheeler brand in India but was closely followed by Honda, which missed the crown by just 1 lakh units 

From Partners To Rivals

In 1984, Honda Motor Co., entered into a partnership with the local manufacturer Hero Cycles to enter and capitalize the Indian two-wheeler market. Hero Honda Motors Ltd was formed, and the purpose of the joint venture was to develop the motorcycle market in India, leveraging Honda's technology and Hero's market presence. The partnership was very successful, and Hero Honda became a formidable force in the market, which remained undefeated for years to come. Come 2010, the partnership had to come to an end due to differing visions for the future. 

Fast forward to the present time, both companies are doing exceedingly well in revolutionising the two-wheeler segment in India. Hero MotoCorp is the world’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer and has registered a sales figure of 58,99,187 units sold globally in the FY 2024-25 which is 4.8 percent increase over the previous year’s sales figure. Honda Motorcycle And Scooter India, hot on their heels, has registered a sales figure of 58,31,104 units globally in FY 2024-25, a massive increase of 19 percent over last year. 

Honda’s Arsenal 

The first two-wheeler which comes to your mind when you hear Honda is the Activa. A scooter which has etched its name in history as being the highest selling scooter in India for years. Honda’s scooter lineup consists of other vehicles as well, such as the Activa 125, Dio 110 and Dio 125 in India, but the lion’s share has always been the 110cc Activa. Honda is also expanding into the electric two-wheeler segment with the Activa e: and the QC1 electric scooter, but these are only available in limited cities, and their deliveries are just beginning.

The motorcycle lineup is led by the Shine 125 in terms of sales figures. Other motorcycles include the Hornet 2.0, SP125, SP160, Livo, Shine 100, CD110 Deluxe, and the NX200. Honda also has a premium big-bikes lineup, which includes the likes of the CB350 range, CB300F, CB300R, NX500, CB650R, CBR650R, Transalp XL750 and the GoldWing. That said, bikes in the 500cc segment and above contribute only to a fraction of the total sales.

Hero’s Lineup

Hero MotoCorp, although with a much more India-specific lineup, leads the charge with their Splendor as the highest-selling motorcycle in India and has remained undefeated for over a decade. Its other bikes include the Passion, HF Deluxe, Glamour, Super Splendor and more. The scooters include Pleasure, Destini and the Xoom range. With the recent rise in the popularity of electric two-wheelers, Hero launched the Vida 2 range of scooters and wishes to have a bigger piece of the pie in EV sales. Though Hero’s Vida range is behind Ola, Bajaj and TVS’ EV numbers, it is still growing at a steady pace. In fact, it recorded a 40% year-on-year growth in FY 2025.

Hero MotoCorp has been viewed as a manufacturer which only makes commuter motorcycles for a while now. To change the people’s perspective, it is transitioning to a more performance-oriented brand with a much diverse lineup catering to a much wider range of audience. With the launch of XPulse 210, Xtreme 250R, and the upcoming Karizma XMR 250, Hero plans to change things for good, and be considered a more up-market brand. 

Apart from their own lineup, Hero MotoCorp also manages Harley-Davidson’s India operations. Through their venture, they managed to make the most affordable Harley ever, the X440, and Hero’s Mavrick 440. 

ZigSays

Hero MotoCorp and Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India, two of the largest manufacturers in India, have created a two-wheeler market like no other. The rivalry between the manufacturers has given us some great products in the form of Activa and Splendor, which continue to sell in large numbers, showing us how popular they still are despite remaining mechanically unchanged for quite some time. 

Hero’s aim to transform its image to a much more premium brand has resulted in better performance-oriented products. Their partnership is also commendable as they have managed to create new products with their partnerships and have given enthusiasts a vast range of motorcycles to choose from.

Honda, on the other hand, has a much more cautious approach as they tend to analyze the market a lot before launching any new product. We get to see their over-cautious approach with the Activa e: which might be a bit too late to the party when compared to its rivals. But we do wish to see Honda’s international lineup make its way to India to cater the enthusiasts with a wide array of motorcycles and scooters, at least starting with the drool-worthy 500cc range.