With Unlock 1.0 there has been a gradual rejuvenation of the Indian economy as the automobile industry is trying to furiously rev up manufacturing vehicles as per demand. There has been a sudden spurt in the manufacturing of automobiles as demand for bicycles and bikes have skyrocketed due to the absence of adequate public and private transport. To capitalise on the rising demand industry majors such as Hero MotorCorp, Scooters India, TVS Motor Company and Royal Enfield have decided to launch two-wheelers to grab customer attention.
The automobile industry in India hit a rough patch before the pandemic due to a dearth in demand with major brands registering declining sales. The pandemic turned out to be a rude jolt to an already struggling industry, leading industry seniors to apprehend a double-digit degrowth on 2020-21, according to a PTI report.
Here’s a list of five promising two-wheelers to hit the market post lockdown.
1. Honda Livo BS6- A product of Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI), the BS 6 version will be launched in July. Priced at Rs 67,000, the bike will share the same engine as the Honda CD 110 Dream, which had a configuration of 8.67 brake horsepower (BHP) at 7,500 rotations per minute (rpm) and whose peak torque output was 9.30 Newton metres (Nm) at 5,500 rpm. The engine will most likely be paired with a 4-speed transmission. The bike will make use of similar telescopic front forks and twin rear shock absorbers like previous models and will be accompanied by an engine kill-switch and a semi-digital instrument cluster stated Zigwheels.com . The model promises to be sleek and “sportier” and will render fierce competition to the Hero Passion Pro 110, TVS Star City Plus, and Bajaj Platina 110-H Gear.
2. Hero Xtreme 160R- Designed by Hero MotoCorp the bike will finally be launched in July after being delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic. A bike tailor-made for the 160cc segment it will also accommodate a BS6-compliant air-cooled and fuel-injected motor. With a 5-speed gearbox, the engine makes 15bhp at 8,500 rpm and has 14 Nm of peak torque at 6,500 rpm. Priced around Rs 90,000 to 95,000 the motorbike will be the only motorbike in its segment to get all LED-lighting as per Zigwheels.com. The likely contenders of the bike post-launch would be Bajaj Pulsar NS160, TVS Apache RTR 160 4V BS6 and the Yahama FZ FI V3 BS6.
3. Royal Enfield Meteor 350– A replacement of the Thunderbird 350X in India the Meteor 350 will usher the start of a new product line. Priced at about Rs 1.7 lakh the bike is likely to have a 350cc single-cylinder engine, similarly, it may feature a 6-speed gearbox and tubeless tyres. While the engine displacement is yet unknown the bike is most likely to have an air-cooled fuel-injected motor. The bike will render tough competition to Jawa Forty-Two BS6, Bajaj Dominar 250 and the to be launched Benelli Imperiale 400 when on road.
4. The TVS Scooty Zest 110 Matte Series BS6- The New Matte Series will be launched by the TVS Motor Company in the month of July. Priced at Rs 54,000 the bike will be available in four matte colour options — Matte Black, Matte Blue, Matte Red and Matte Yellow. Coupled with under-seat storage light and silver oak interior panels the scooter will return a mileage of 62 kilometres per litre fuel. With a single cylinder of 8PS power and a peak torque of 8.7 Nm the bike will employ a 110 cc motor. When on road the bike will vie for supremacy with close competitors like Hero Pleasure, Suzuki Lets and Honda Activa I.
5.Hero XPulse 200T- The bike will be launched in July by Hero MotoCorp, the bike will be available in four colours of Sports Red, Matte Shield Gold, Matte Grey and Matte Black. Having a single cylinder air cooled 199.6 cc engine, the bike will generate 18.4 PS at 8000 rpm and 17.1 Nm at 6500 rpm. Though the bike has been tagged at around Rs 96,000 prices may go up to as much as Rs 1.1 lakh quoted Zigwheels.com.
