Hero Honda to launch bikes, add 500 dealers

Around nine models to be unveiled or refreshed this fiscal year

THE country's largest motorcycles manufacturer, Hero Honda Motors, said that it would add 500 dealers to its current 4,000 by the end of this financial year. The company will also introduce another six or seven models to its fleet of motorcycles this fiscal.

"As our sales are growing and going to more places, we are planning to add around 500 more dealerships across the country by the end of this fiscal. We have sold more than 4.2 lakh units in the month of June, and, continuously for the last five quarters we have been selling more than a million units. So as the number grows, we need to add dealers as well," senior vice-president, marketing and sales, Hero Honda Motors, Anil Dua said.

Declining to comment on investment, Dua said, "We announced to launch around nine models whether new or refreshed versions, and we have al ready launched two models in the last three months -Glamour and Glamour FI.

The rest would follow soon with some excitements before the festive seasons," he added.

The company, which has a capacity of 5.4 million units per year from all its three plants including Gurgaon, Dharuhera and Haridwar has also now decided to come up with a fourth facility very soon.

"We are still working on the land and area right now and may be in the next two months, we will be able to finalise it," Dua said.

Hero Honda holds around 55 per cent market share in the motorcycle market in India. Dua said the company would continue to be the leading motorcycles maker, and even with only one scooter -the Pleasure -it has around 50 per cent market share in the overall scooters market in India.

Mostly bought by women, the Pleasure has made a good impact because of the company's "all-women workshop".

"We have a special allwomen dealers, with 20 dealers in major 20 cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, which take care of women customers. Such dealers, which have women-friendly ambience also help a lot to the company in gaining sales," Dua added.

The company sells around 25,000 units of the Pleasure every month.