Honda's Activa crosses 10 million sales mark

MUMBAI: Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India’s 'Activa' has become the first scooter in the country to cross the 10 million (1 crore) mark in unit sales. The company has another first to its name — its July scooter sales topped 250,000 (2.5 lakh) units, the highest by a domestic manufacturer in a single month.

From 55,000 units sold in 2001, when Activa debuted as Honda’s first two-wheeler in India, the model became the market leader in just three years. Since then, Activa has grown to sell over 2.1 million units in 2014-15, and Honda Two-Wheelers is now the market leader with 59 per cent share in the domestic scooter segment.

"This achievement is more significant since Activa (an automatic scooter) has gained the trust of one crore happy families in India. From reactivating the scooter segment in India in 2001 to leading the ‘scooterization’ of industry today, Honda’s iconic Activa has changed the way Indians ride to fulfill their dreams," said Keita Muramatsu, president and chief executive of Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI).

According to Yadvinder Singh Guleria, the company’s senior vice-president of sales & marketing, backed by the demand for Activa, Honda last month become the first domestic two-wheeler manufacturer to sell more than 250,000 scooters in a single month.

With features like superior four-stroke engine, Honda Eco Technology (which delivers a mileage of 60kmpl as per Honda mode, which is close to actual riding conditions), V-matic (gearless) transmission, durable all-metal body, convenient lift-up independent cover (CLIC) mechanism, tubeless tyres and combi-brake system, Activa ensures convenience, the company said in a statement on Tuesday.

Yadvinder Singh Guleria, senior vice-president of sales & marketing at HMSI, said, "A decade ago, who would have bet that a scooter would once again be the largest selling two-wheeler in India. But today, Activa has broken the glass ceiling. First, it is the only automatic scooter that has become India’s No 1 selling two-wheeler (in June’15, July’15). We believe this demand for automatic scooters will continue to rise."