Well, not about wordplay here–when I say the words slow and low cc engines.
Reuters recently reported with the headline–
India’s Hero MotoCorp misses profit estimates as volumes drop, costs rise
Hero’s motorcycle and scooter sales fell for the first time in six quarters, declining about 1%.
It does not seem like a big deal but when a leader is at the helm of an industry worldwide–even that 1% is large chunk of meat to claw at for its adversaries and critics.
Genuine reasons such as cost of raw materials, banks with lending concerns, change in rural demand among other things were known causes. You can read the Reuters article at below link dated 13-May-2025
Growth is subjective for people and sometimes it should be for companies as well. Hero MotoCorp is doing a second big transition after accomplishing decent success as an exclusive distributor and service provider for Harley-Davidson in India.
Premia is the upscale, premium two-wheeler Dealership brand for Hero MotoCorp’s vision of a new range of lifestyle motorcycles and maybe even scooters someday.
Critics complain of poor showroom experience and lack of test drive vehicles at Hero Premia as well. Some going on to say they are redundant because Hero does not have premium motorcycles.
Well, my opinion is, they all said similar / same thing when Royal Enfield reinvented itself after UCE engine success and forced Dealerships to upgrade their showrooms and also forced them to stock and sell accessories and apparels.
Hero Premia Dealerships currently are meant to sell and market:
- Hero Mavrick 440cc
- Hero XMR Karizma 210
- Hero XPulse 210
- Hero Xtreme 250
- Harley-Davidson X440 will be available here as Channel Partner
- Accessories and apparel for these motorcycles
Many new accessories and apparel are listed on Hero MotoCorp official website for the above four Hero Motorcycles and they all are almost sold out.
The Bluetooth headset launched a day or so ago sold out in 24 hours online.
Hero MotoCorp is also regularly promoting guided motorcycle tours around different locations in India.
People who know the quality and know which showrooms and service centers work as per their needs and preferences have always gone to the relevant centres — no matter which brand of motorcycle you own.
Not all Enfield Dealerships are the same. Not all KTM Dealerships are the same. Not all Honda BigWing Dealerships are the same.
Similarly, the Hero Dealerships and Service Centers will vary in their workmanship and customer care.
Premia as a new concept and new business model is aimed at separating the thousands of other motorcycle and scooters of Hero’s various models from the more expensive and lifestyle choice two-wheeler segment of Hero MotoCorp.
One analogy would be Suzuki Arena Vs Suzuki NEXA.
You may ridicule all Suzuki four-wheelers as a box of tin. That does not stop people from appreciating and even loving the value and service the vast majority of customers receive from Maruti Suzuki.
Happy customers don’t seem to rave and rant online about the awesome service or care or parts or solutions they receive from any automotive manufacturer.
Squeaky wheels however make a lot of noise online, offline and anywhere they can drum up drama to get their issues noticed, resolved —–and then after these squeaky wheels receives its oil — they go all quiet and never post about the resolution– whether it was adequate, satisfactory, generous, incomplete, etc.
It is human nature. I have seen it happen regarding employers, landlords / housing society, banking, local grocery stores, online ecommerce websites — you name it, it’s there. Tweeting to Shri Anand Mahindra or in the past to Late Shri Padma Vibhushan Ratan Tata, etc is maybe trendy thing I wonder. Same for “Bollywood” movie critics ?
I have myself waited indefinitely after arriving early at authorised service centers because some howling customer, who has come ten customers later, demands his motorcycle will go into service center first —because he was cheated and given a crappy motorcycle and crappy free warranty service and it should all be done for free this time around.
Computerisation and transparency from customer to dealer to manufacturer through automated job card and billing is helping change things very slowly. In some specific city / cities especially– everyone is “influential” and “connected” and “Bhai” — so it is not so easy for any business to do business in India at best price for best product —in worst conditions of infrastructure and customer behaviour / psychology — despite ease of business policies helping smaller scale business and entrepreneurs.
May the centrifugal and combustion force be with you. Enjoy these liberties till the time everyone all over the world is forced into public transport due to lack of every natural resource on this fast decaying planet. One Planet hurtling down space and time–with everyone onboard self-righteously demanding a better ride as if they will live to tell the tale for generations to come.
As Keith Ball of “Bikernet.com” would say, “Rest and be kind, you have nothing to prove.”
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