The Hindu Business Line : Honda to reposition bike brands, plans facelifts

Honda Motor Scooter India (HMSI) has decided to reposition its motorcycle brands. The company that introduced the Shine (125 cc) and Unicorn (150 cc) brands in 2006 and 2004, respectively, has not been able to make a dent in the market and is now working on face-lifts to the models, said Mr Masahiro Takedagawa, Head-South-West Asia, Honda Motor Co. Pricing of these models may include a premium.

The company "made a mistake", said the official, in introducing the models and its styling which were quite similar to the existing Hero Honda models (Glamour and CBZ).

According to sources, it did intend, at that time, to hop on to the success of Hero Honda in this segment.

However, the customers expected something more from the `Wing' (Honda logo) trademark. In fact, the styling of Unicorn looked ancient compared to the Hero Honda models such as the CBZ. Technically, Shine and Unicorn, still enjoy the same reputation as any other Hero Honda models, if not better, said experts.

To consolidate holdings

While HMSI focuses on its motorcycle range, the parent company Honda Motor Co is to consolidate its holdings in different ventures in India under a single, fully owned company Honda Motor India (Pvt) Ltd.

This company will take care of logistics for spare parts beginning with the automobile business and IT. The stakes of Honda Japan in various ventures in India will be transferred in the near future to the holding company Honda Motor India (Pvt) Ltd.

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