Despite the slow sales, most OEMs bettered their December 2022 numbers.
The final month of 2023 saw all two-wheeler OEMs report a decline in their monthly sales. Keep reading to find out how each OEM fared.
Hero MotoCorp: 3,77,842 units
As is custom, Hero continues to stay at the top of the Indian two-wheeler market but even so it has reported a substantial 20.67 percent decline compared to its November 2023 numbers (4,76,286 units). Even when compared to its sales figure for December 2022 (3,81,365 units), Hero reported a decrease of 0.92 percent.
2023 was an important year for Hero as it finally entered the premium space with the new Karizma XMR and the co-developed Harley-Davidson X440.
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Hero 440cc bike likely to be called Mavrick 440
Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI): 2,86,101 units
Compared to the 4,20,677 units it sold in November 2023, HMSI reported a 32 percent decline in December. However, compared to its numbers for the same month in 2022 (2,33,151 units), Honda reported a 22.71 percent increase.
Honda recently launched the Transalp XL750 middleweight adventure bike in India and added a new variant to its modern classic lineup called the CB350.
TVS Motor Company: 2,14,988 units
In comparison to its November 2023 sales numbers (2,87,017 units), TVS reported a significant 25 percent decline last month. Similarly, even in comparison to its December 2022 sales figure of 2,27,666 units, the Hosur-based brand reported a 5.57 percent decrease.
This past year TVS came out with its naked sportbike based on the 310 platform with the Apache RTR 310 and also released the cutting-edge X e-scooter.
Bajaj Auto: 1,58,370 units
Just like the other OEMs on this list, Bajaj too reported a 27.55 percent decline in December, compared to its November 2023 sales figure (2,18,597 units). However, the Chakan-based brand did manage to better its own numbers from December 2022 (1,25,525 units) by a 26.17 percent margin.
The past year saw Bajaj launch the new Triumph Speed 400, Scrambler 400 X, both in domestic and international markets, as well as the Gen 3 390 Duke. It also added a more affordable variant to its Chetak lineup, called the Urbane.
Suzuki: 69,025 units
Despite reporting a 5.62 percent decline in its December sales compared to November 2023 (73,135 units), Suzuki finished ahead of Royal Enfield in the grand scheme of things. And compared to its rather small December 2022 tally (40,905 units), it reported a large 68.74 percent increase.
Suzuki has recently removed the venerable V-Strom 650 XT from its website and has been testing the new V-Strom 800DE in India for quite some time now, so a launch might be on the cards.
Royal Enfield: 57,291 units
Royal Enfield reported a 23.75 percent decrease compared to its November 2023 sales numbers (75,137 units). Compared to its December 2022 numbers (59,821 units), it reported a slight 4.2 percent decrease as well.
2023 was when Royal Enfield finally bestowed the 650 twins with alloy wheels and it debuted its new Sherpa 450 liquid-cooled mill in the new Himalayan.
| December 2023 sales | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 2023 | November 2023 | % change | December 2022 | % change | |
| Hero | 3,77,842 | 4,76,286 | -20.67% | 3,81,365 | -0.92% |
| Honda | 2,86,101 | 4,20,677 | -32% | 2,33,151 | 22.71% |
| TVS | 2,14,988 | 2,87,017 | -25% | 2,27,666 | -5.57% |
| Bajaj | 1,58,370 | 2,18,597 | -27.55% | 1,25,525 | 26,17% |
| Suzuki | 69,025 | 73,135 | -5.62% | 40,905 | 68.74% |
| Royal Enfield | 57,291 | 75,137 | -23.75% | 59,821 | -4.2% |