Hero MotoCorp title sponsor of Hockey India League

Hockey India League (HIL) has signed a multi-year title sponsorship deal with the two-wheeler manufacturer, Hero MotoCorp, for the tournament, making it the Hero Hockey India League.

Hero MotoCorp was also the title sponsor of the 2012 Olympics Qualifier Tournament, Hero FIH Road to London 2012, won by the Indian Men’s team. In 2010, Hero was also the title sponsor of the men’s FIH World Cup in New Delhi.

Announcing the deal, Narinder Batra, secretary general of Hockey India and chairman of Hockey India League, said, “We are delighted to have Hero MotoCorp as the title sponsor of the Hockey India League. Hero Group and, particularly, MD & CEO Pawan Munjal, have always been great well-wishers of Indian Hockey, and they have supported many initiatives of Hockey India in the past few years. Hockey India League thanks Hero MotoCorp for coming on board to become our partner for a long & joyful journey.”
“Hockey holds a special place in our hearts and we are pleased to partner Hockey India League,” Munjal said.

The inaugural Hero Hockey India League will be held from January 14 to February 10. It will have 120 players, showing their skills in 34 matches.

Five teams – Delhi Waveriders, Jaypee Punjab Warriors, Uttar Pradesh Wizards, Mumbai Magicians and Ranchi Rhinos will compete in the inaugural season at five venues - Delhi, Jalandhar, Lucknow, Mumbai and Ranchi respectively.

Mahindra 2 wheelers to start export of motorbikes

Mahindra 2 Wheelers Ltd is planning to start export of its motorcycles before the end of this financial year, looking at neighbouring markets as well as Africa and Latin America for exports. “Seeding activity is on and we should start the exports of our motorcycles before the end of this financial year,” said Anoop Mathur, president (two-wheeler sector), and member of the group executive board, Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M).
“We plan to use the existing distribution network of M&M for motorcycle exports and would look at creating a new network where M&M does not have a presence,” he added.

Currently, the company sells a miniscule number of its scooters to countries including Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

On Friday, Mahindra 2 Wheelers unveiled two motorcycles—Centuro and Pantero—in the 110 cc segment, marking its re-entry into the motorcycle segment. It may be recalled that the company had launched its first motorcycle Stallio 110 cc two years back, but had to pull out the product from the market following technical issues.

The products will be made available in the market in another four-five weeks. Pantero, which is expected first, will have four variants. Powered by the MCi-5 engine manufactured at the plant at Pithampur, the two bikes have been designed at the company’s R&D Centre in Pune.

Yamaha looks to rev up scooter sales

Of the 5 lakh two-wheelers Yamaha targets to sell this year (2013), it expects two lakh units to be scooters.

While the overall two-wheeler industry is growing at 10-11 per cent, the scooter segment is growing at over 20 per cent, said Roy Kurian, National Business Head, India Yamaha Motor. There is a huge potential for scooters in urban and semi-urban areas.

This trend is driven by more women looking to be more mobile, said Kurian. Families are also increasingly looking at vehicles which the entire family can use, he said.

Yamaha is targeting 1 million (10 lakh) units by 2015 and 40-45 per cent will come from scooters. It sold 3.44 lakh motorcycles last year.

Hero and Honda are the big players in the scooter segment. Yamaha entered the space in September with the Ray range; since then, it has sold over 35,000 units.

“Though it is targeted at the urban woman, Ray is also being used by boys and husbands.”

NEW MANUFACTURING PLANT NEAR CHENNAI

Yamaha’s upcoming manufacturing plant at Vallam Vadagal, near Chennai, will start production in 2014 with scooters. The plant will have a production capacity of 1.8 million units, taking Yamaha’s total capacity to 2.8 million units. Yamaha already has two plants in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.

To encourage more women to take up scooter riding, Yamaha on Friday launched a rider training programme. The 3-hour training will be given to women free of cost at Yamaha dealerships by company staff. The company is also targeting colleges to offer training.

The programme covers aspects such as safety, balance, posture, start-stop, turning, cornering and braking.

This is also an attempt to get customers to experience the Yamaha brand. The company has similar rider training programmes worldwide, especially in Asean countries. About 70 per cent of people who undergo this training end up buying the Yamaha brand, said Kurian. Yamaha hopes to repeat this in India, too.

Honda Motorcycle India December sales up 14%

Two-wheeler manufacturer Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) today reported 13.59 per cent growth in its total sales for December 2012 at 2,17,612 units.

The company’s total sales stood at 1,91,584 units in the corresponding month of the previous year.

Motorcycle sales jumped 35.03 per cent to 1,06,297 units in December last year as against 78,721 units in December 2011, HMSI said in a statement.

The company, however, reported 1.37 per cent decrease in its scooter sales at 1,11,315 units from 1,12,863 units in December 2011.

Bajaj Auto two wheeler sales rise 13% in Dec

The country's second largest two wheeler maker Bajaj Auto today reported 13.14 per cent rise in its motorcycle sales at 2,98,350 units in December 2012.

The company had sold 2,63,699 units in the corresponding month previous year, Bajaj Auto Ltd (BAL) said in a statement.

BAL said exports increased by 5.27 per cent during the month at 1,26,016 units compared to 1,19,708 units in December 2011, it added.

In the three-wheeler category, the company said its sales stood at 45,596 units as against 41,991 units in the same month previous year, an increase of 8.59 per cent.

Total vehicle sales of the company in the last month stood at 3,43,946 units compared to 3,05,690 units in the same period a year ago, a rise of 12.51 per cent, the statement said.

Suzuki Motorcycle sales up 24% in December

Two-wheeler maker Suzuki Motorcycle India today reported 23.89 per cent rise in sales at 33,753 units in December 2012.

It had sold 27,244 units in the same month of 2011, Suzuki Motorcycle India Pvt Ltd (SMIPL) said in a statement.

SMIPL Vice President (Sales and Marketing) Atul Gupta said: "We have received a good response from the market for all our products. The growing customer satisfaction has led to positive word-of-mouth in the market. We will continue to give the best to our customers."

TVS Motor sales dip marginally in December

Two and three-wheeler manufacturer TVS Motor Company witnessed a marginal decline in sales of 8.33 per cent at 1,56,221 units in December 2012.

The Chennai-based company sold 1,70,428 units during the same month in the previous year, a company statement said.

In the two-wheeler segment, the company registered sales of 1,51,735 units against 1,67,905 units. Domestic sales of two-wheelers witnessed a decline at 1,34,566 units (1,46,747 units).