Ahmedabad (Anirban Mitra): Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India (HMSI) is committed to claiming the top position in the domestic market and is investing heavily in facility expansion. The company has globally achieved the 50 crore vehicle production milestone, rolling the landmark unit out of the Vithalapur facility in Gujarat.
Minoru Kato, executive officer, of Honda Motor Company, said, "We are aiming for the largest market share in India by creating a production environment that meets the needs of evolving customers. We are investing Rs 920 crore in the expansion of Vithalapur Plant. This will increase HSMI's annual production to 70 lakh units by 2027." The company has four plants across India with a current installed capacity of 61 lakh per annum.
Manesar facility in Haryana has an annual production capacity of 3.8 lakh units, while Tapukara in Rajasthan can produce 13 lakh units. The dedicated EV plant in Narsapura in Karnataka can manufacture 25 lakh units per year.
Revealing the company's performance, the top official said HMSI sold 53.26 million (excluding EVs) in FY25, recording 28.3 per cent market share. On the back of strong performance of Activa, Shine and other mass market products, HMSI could narrow its gap from Hero MotoCorp. Karo sounded bullish on India's instrumental role in Honda's aim to touch 6 crore-sales figure annually in the global two-wheeler market by 2030.
Left: Tsutsumu Otani, president, CEO and MD, HMSI
Right: Minoru Kato, head of Motorcycles Business, Honda Motor Company
Electric Vehicles:
HMSI launched Activa e: and QC1 in India earlier in 2025. The QC1 comes with a fixed battery while the Activa e: comes with two swappable batteries which can't be charged externally at residence or workplace. Honda Power has installed e: Swap stations in Bangalore, Mumbai, and Delhi NCR as part of phase 1 where customers can replace the drained-out batteries with fresh ones.
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The top Honda official was confident the model would be accepted by the consumer in the long run, as the battery deterioration would not be a concern. Kato said, "The battery health in electric vehicles degenerates over the years of usage. We believe customers will accept the swapping model as Honda is responsible for charging and warranty of the batteries."
Honda two-wheeler's Kato said the company plans to launch at least one electric model globally every year and India's Narsapura plant can become an EV export hub. HMSI will construct a dedicated EV plant within premises of its third plant in Karnataka which will be fully operational by 2028.
Honda EV Fun Concept showcased at EICMA 2024
Honda unveiled two electric motorcycle concepts, 'EV Fun' and 'EV Urban', at the EICMA last year. The commercialisation and sales of these sporty offerings will commence in Europe in the second half of 2025.
Honda is late to join the EV party in India, but Tsutsumu Otani as president, CEO and MD, HMSI showed clear intent to rise to the apex EV motorcycle market. "The electric two-wheeler market in India is gradually growing. Around 12 lakh electric two-wheelers were sold in India in FY25. We aim for the number 1 position in the EV two-wheeler segment in coming years."
On the EV front, Honda is working on multiple models by standardising and combining modules, which will contribute to cost reduction. India will act as an export hub for Honda, and Otani said the modularised models will be produced at the Narsapura facility from 2028.
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