If you are also wondering like us as to why Honda is being such a douche and not introducing the new updated Honda CBR 150R, 250R and the new 300R. Well, you might think that it is not feasible for the company to invest so much into India and the current crop of bikes are doing well for the company if we look at the figures. But seriously, is only that what it takes for a company to make such decisions? Have you ever thought what the think tank at Honda must be doing planning their India operations? Ask yourself these questions and you will get some of the answers and think about it not from a company point of view but from the customer point of view.We in India want the new updated and more powerful bikes, period. We would love to have those bikes here in India on the road so that we can buy them and we can ride them. But seems like Honda is just not considerate enough of the Indian market at all. All they want to do here is sell Activas and Shines and Unicorns while the performance segment which literally the highest growing market segment in India is being left high and dry. It is after so many years that they introduced the Honda CBR 650F in the market and the sales results have clearly shown that it has tanked. Is that the reason why Honda feels India does not deserve its performance bikes or the international updates of the bikes?
If that is the case, Honda; we have some news for you. We agree that your 5 years old model of the CBR 250R is still selling pretty well. But remember that the cost of your bikes are so high that an educated buyer who compares everything and buys a bike because it makes more sense and not just because he/she is a Honda fanatic will never buy your CBR 150 or 250 bikes. The reason being in the cost of a CBR 250R, I could get a 300cc and above bike with the Mahindra Mojo, the Benelli 300, the KTM Duke and RC 390 and so on.And as for the CBR 150R, I could get the Pulsar 200RS and that is with FI and ABS and I could also get the KTM 200 twins along with Benelli 250 and many others. And not just that but with putting in a little more I can even get a Kawasaki twin cylinder 300. So now you should be seeing what I am getting at. It is not always about the numbers you sell, but also about the number you sell it for which counts. Had you sold the bikes for a lower cost, the sales for the bikes would have literally doubled because we know you have got good bikes. But people will always go for the cheaper option and the one that makes more sense than wasting money after all.
Secondly, Honda should have known this that putting in the money for the manufacturing of the bikes in India would have made a lot of sense and also if the bikes actually got updated, people will buy the bikes because it will be something new for the people and consumers like new stuff. If you thought that people will not buy your bikes if you updated them, you might want to take up a human psychology class all over again to know that people are actually interested in the new updated bikes and they want them to come to Indian shores as well.
And also if you thought that you have the monopoly in the segment and need not work on it because the public does not really have a choice for your bikes, then you are wrong. The Yamaha R15 is the same bike as in the segment of the CBR 150R. It has received 2 updated already along with many new colors over the years and now even the third version is in testing. And your bike on the other hand is still the original one running on the streets at quite the premium. On top of that you have the CB Hornet 160 running on the street with a bigger engine producing more torque at a cheaper cost. If only you would re-bored the 150cc engine of CBR 150R to 160cc, the bike would become a lot more powerful and sell so much more.So Honda, time to think again about launching the updated CBR 150R I guess. Also talking about the CBR 250R, it now has the Benelli 250, Pulsar RS 200, KTM 200 twins, KTM 390 twins which are still cheaper than the CBR 250R, the Mahindra Mojo which I found to be a much better bike than the CBR 250R when reviewed. And also Suzuki is gearing for the Gixxer 250 SF and Hero is also expected to launch the Hero HX 250R soon making which are all cheaper than the Honda CBR 250R. And you still feel that the old models are fine for the Indian market?
I do not feel that any of the other manufacturers are fools to launch new products in the market and also to keep updating them from time to time. Honda had the chance to build pretty much of a monopoly being the first bike in the category to enter India but still has not been able to and now that it actually has a very good chance with the updated models, it still feels lethargic to do so. All I can say about this is, “Because Honda!”Apparently it seems like Honda do not care about the motorcycle enthusiasts in India and are here only to sell scooters and commuter bikes and churn out big numbers only to claim the top spot in the country of being the highest motorcycle selling company in the world and that’s it. And even that if you ask me will not happen because I know pretty well that the way Hero and other manufacturers in India is going, they are in no mood to stop and surely in no mood to let Honda surpass them at any point.
So a small pointer here Honda, get off and get us those improved bikes, else this is nothing but a superb PR nightmare for you guys and yes, this will come to bite you back 5 years from now when you might be thinking if only had you launched your range of bikes in India. But then at that time, it will surely be too late for you. Maybe it is still not late for you now; leap while you can else forever stay in exile. Our market is not going to stop, nor is it going to wait for you to take your sweet time to reach here. We have our options and we will use them.
By: Pratik Patole