The scooter market in India is yet to pick up steam, having borne the brunt of the COVID-induced sales decline over 18-odd months. The new work-from-home dynamic in urban India, school and college closures and high petrol prices have hit this sub-segment hard. In the April-October period, a total of 4,67,161 scooters were sold, which is 21 percent down over year-ago sales of 5,90,507 units.
Suzuki Access, Burgman and NTorq highest-selling 125cc scooters
Around seven new 125cc scooters launched these past few months
125cc models contribute 30 percent in sales figures of the top 10 contenders
However, this market performance also mirrors the performance of the overall two-wheeler industry – 15,41,621 units or 25 percent sales decline (as against 20,53,814) – and that of the motorcycle segment – 10,17,874 (-26 percent/13,82,749 units). This is the reason why OEMs are constantly on the lookout for ‘white spaces’ or niches where they spot an opportunity to grow, despite difficult market conditions. The 125cc scooter market is one such opportunity and OEMs are seizing it adroitly.
India’s petrol-engined scooter market, which has 18 products from seven manufacturers in the fray, is seeing considerable action in the 125cc arena. The past few months have seen a gaggle of new products being launched including the Yamaha Fascino FI Hybrid, Aprilia SXR 125, TVS NTorq 125 Race XP, Hero Maestro 125, TVS Jupiter 125, Honda Grazia125 Repsol Honda Team Edition, and Suzuki Avenis 125.
Access, NTorq, Burgman notch growth in a difficult market
The Indian scooter market currently has 12 models in the 125cc segment, some with 110cc/150cc siblings (Honda Activa, TVS Jupiter, Hero Maestro, Aprilia and Vespa). Look at the comprehensive sales data table (April-October 2021) and you get an idea of the growing connect of the 125cc segment with buyers.
Of the top 10 bestselling scooters in the first seven months of this financial year, only five of them have registered growth in sales. Out of these, three of them are 125cc scooters – Suzuki Access, TVS NTorq and Suzuki Burgman. The Honda Activa is the fourth, but its 125cc sales are far lower than its 110cc version, which has been India’s No. 1 scooter for years. Then there’s the Hero Maestro, which is sold only as a 110cc model.
The Suzuki Access is India’s bestselling 125cc scooter and went home to 2,82,000 buyers between April-October, notching a handsome 49 percent YoY (year-on-year) growth. What’s more, it is the company’s mainstay, having contributed 83 percent to its overall sales of 3,37,817 units and helped increase its market share by 4 percentage points to 14 percent.
Its sibling, the Suzuki Burgman, which is powered by the Access’s 125cc engine, is also in positive territory with sales of 55,817 units, up 45 percent YoY and contributing 16.5 percent to overall Suzuki sales.
The TVS NTorq, the second-ranked 125cc scooter, continues its strong showing with sales of 1,45,256 units, up 23 percent YoY. The NTorq’s importance can be gleaned from the fact that it contributed 30 percent to TVS’ cumulative scooter sales of 4,79,989 units.
Club the sales of the 125cc models – Suzuki Access, TVS NTorq, Hero Destini 125, Yamaha Ray, Yamaha Fascino and Suzuki Burgman (sales splits for the Honda Activa and TVS Jupiter not available) – and you get a cumulative total of 6,67,238 units, which is a fourth or 30 percent of the total sales by the top 10 contenders at 22,36,135 units (which in turn accounts for 93 percent of the total scooter sales of 23,95,104 units).
Growth outlook
With urban India gradually moving back into working-from-office mode and schools and colleges opening gingerly, one can expect demand to return for scooters. It also helps if they come up trumps on the fuel-efficiency front, what with petrol becoming more expensive each day. But the fact remains that the 125cc segment is flowering, and how. Even the motorcycle market is seeing a smart uptick for higher-powered 125cc commuters compared to their 100-110cc brethren. It’s yet another sign of India wanting to be on the move, faster.