Hero Maestro Edge 125 will go on sale in early 2019 and it will be followed by a new 110 cc scooter in the next financial year
Hero MotoCorp launched its first ever scooter equipped with i3S idle start/stop technology yesterday. The Destini 125 is the second most affordable 125 cc scooter currently on sale behind Mahindra Gusto 125 and is retailed in two variants. Developed in-house at Hero’s Centre of Innovation and Technology in Jaipur, it boasts a number of new features over the Honda Activa 125 as well.
With analogue/digital instrumentation, Integrated Braking System (IBS), side stand indicator, service reminder and external fuel filler cap, the Destini 125 is a force to reckon with in its segment at Rs. 54,650 and Rs. 57,500 for Lx and Vx variants respectively. It made public debut at the 2018 Auto Expo as Duet 125 alongside Maestro Edge 125.
The latter is scheduled to enter showrooms in the early parts of 2019. Riding on the momentum, Hero is planning to introduce a slew of new scooters in the next eight- to twelve-month period to consolidate its position in the segment. The company does not have as big a presence as it does in entry-level commuter space, and is looking to make amends.
Having launched the Xtreme 200R earlier this year, it has also lined up XPulse 200 for the coming months. The 125 cc scooter segment, responsible for 20 percent market share, is registering increased volume sales in the current fiscal and Hero wants to capitalise on the Indian customers’ affinity towards this premium space sooner rather than later.
According to internet reports, Hero will be launching a new 110 cc model in the next FY to expand its current overall share of just 10.42 percent as far as scooters are concerned. It will be aiming to claw back the lost second place to TVS Motor Company that has Jupiter, Ntorq and Pep garnering big numbers in recent times.
In the first half of FY2018-19, Hero’s scooter segment sales dropped by 12 percent and the new strategy of adding more products to the portfolio could aid in closing the gap to leader Honda that dominates 60 percent of total volume sales.