The word- ‘milestone’ was repeated numerous times by the company’s chairman in its recent virtual press conference. Often with gleaming pride in his eyes- the pride of a dutiful son, a leading corporate visionary, and a hardworking man bearing the fruits of his labour.

Standing tall at Hero’s manufacturing facility in Gurugram, the CEO reflected on the sombre year that went by and is almost certain that the current year will shine a better light on us all. Joined shortly by the movie star Sharukh Khan, he reflected on various hardships, achievements, and yet again- ‘milestones’.

When asked by the keenly interested actor, on how the mobility company set out with its journey, the Managing Director said, “It was on January 19th, 1984, exactly 37 years ago that this company was incorporated. Fuelled by the focus on the future and reaching new milestones, a dream was set in motion, with a vision for the company it wanted to be.” In his air of passionate pleasantry, the captain of Hero said they had little to no idea about how big his company would turn out. “My beloved father Dr Brijmohan Lall Munjal put the building blocks in place for an ecosystem that has provided mobility to millions globally,” he added.

The head of the company explained that the monumental milestone of producing their one-millionth product, which at a time, seemed like a distant dream. Still grasping at the amazing feat, he pointed out that, “This milestone signifies much more than just a sales record; it is the success of our iconic brand, it is the trust our customers have placed in us, in our bikes and scooters. It is the hard work of the employees, all our heroes, and along with all of this- it is the success of this nation, our India.”

Speaking on the company founder, he said, his father would have been humbled and proud on seeing how far their company has come since its initial days.

In the time that ensued, three of Hero’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities were pitted against each other, in a race against time to deliver its 100-millionth motorcycle. The Gurugram plant, the place of the press conference, faced off, rather dramatically-against the Neemrana plant in Rajasthan and Hero’s largest facility in Haridwar.

Speaking on the pandemic and how it affected his company, Munjal said, “It would have been very easy to relax, defer all targets and wait for life to get back to normal. At Hero, our entire ecosystem came together and ensured we stayed on course to meet our new, enhanced goals and create hope for the economy.” This productivity evidently shows in their most recent achievement. He further explained that this very work ethic has kept the two-wheeler company at the top of the sales charts for over two decades. With 50 million products in 2013, it has taken the company just seven years to double that number to 100 million.

Munjal, in a considerate tone, with arms open, said, “Sustainability is very close to my heart and one of the key pillars of our operation- we ensure we continuously focus in providing sustainable growth to the society we operate in and also to all our stakeholders. Our manufacturing facilities across the globe are aptly called garden factories for their sustainability and green initiatives.” He further highlighted the range of diversity seen in their facilities across the globe. With employees from over ten different nationalities and a strong backbone in the female workforce, he said his company is one that embraces diversity.

The leader of the firm hints at, possibly- an electric commuter, when he said. “We are keenly aware of the future mobility requirements as well, keeping an eye for changing trends and keeping pace with our dynamic world, we are simultaneously ensuring future-readiness by working on alternate mobility solutions as well.”

Amidst all conversation, the 100-millionth motorcycle was finally off the assembly line in the Haridwar plant. The Xtreme 160R, Hero’s latest contribution to the commuter segment was, incidentally- the motorcycle to make headlines.

Concluding this event, Munjal pondered on the times to come. “We are going to continue to ride our growth journey. In keeping with our Vision to ‘Be the Future of Mobility,’ we will be launching a host of new motorcycles & scooters over the next five years, in addition to expanding our global footprint. We will also continue to invest in R&D and focus on new mobility solutions.” he added. (MT)

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Suzuki Motorcycle India (SMIPL), the two-wheeler subsidiary of Suzuki Motor Corporation, Japan, has opened its first dealership in Bathinda, Punjab, under the name Pluton Motors, which follows the recent opening of Pluton Wheels in Ludhiana.

With the addition of this location, SMIPL's retail network expands to 1,245 outlets across India. The Bathinda outlet functions as a 3S facility, consolidating sales, service and spare parts within a single location. The opening marks the company's 13th retail location in Punjab.

The facility displays Suzuki Motorcycle India’s complete two-wheeler lineup, including the Access, Avenis, and Burgman Street scooters, alongside the company's electric scooter, the e-Access. The performance motorcycle segment is represented by the Gixxer, Gixxer SF, Gixxer 250, Gixxer SF 250 and the V-Strom SX adventure motorcycle.

The dealership incorporates a service workshop with diagnostic tools for vehicle maintenance, and handles the distribution of official accessories, apparel and merchandise.

Kenichi Umeda, Managing Director, Suzuki Motorcycle India, said, “Pluton Suzuki in Bhatinda brings us closer to our customers, giving them easy access to our full range of scooters, motorcycles, and after-sales services. This dealership allows us to be by the side of our customers, ensuring a smooth and enjoyable ownership journey. Beyond the products, we also look forward to engaging with customers through our initiatives like Suzuki MotoFest, the Access Mileage Contest, V-STROM Experience rides, and Gixxer Pitstop that truly celebrate the spirit of motorcycling. We sincerely thank our dealer partner, Gauarav Kanodia & Rajan Aggarwal for their collaboration in making this possible. With this new addition, we now have 13 touchpoints in Punjab.”

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Chennai-headquartered Royal Enfield, the mid-size motorcycle segment leader under Eicher Motors, has officially expanded its twin-cylinder lineup with the launch of the Bullet 650 in India.

The introduction marks the most powerful displacement variant in the model's 94-year continuous production history, following its initial public presentation at the EICMA 2025 motorcycle show in Milan.

The motorcycle is priced at INR 364,856 (ex-showroom) and is available for retail purchase at authorised Royal Enfield dealerships across India.

The Bullet 650 transitions the classic commuter nameplate onto Royal Enfield's 650cc parallel-twin engine architecture, featuring a 6-speed gearbox equipped with an assist and slipper clutch for lighter lever operation. The chassis is built around a steel tubular spine frame.

It is developed in partnership with Showa, featuring 41mm front forks with 120mm of travel and twin-tube hydraulic shock absorbers at the rear providing 112mm of travel. The motorcycle retains traditional proportions with a 19-inch front spoked wheel and an 18-inch rear wheel setup to maintain its signature upright stance.

The mechanical layout is completed by a pair of dual peashooter exhaust pipes finished in chrome, tuned to deliver a distinct, low-frequency twin-cylinder exhaust note.

The styling cues of the Bullet 650 pay direct homage to its historic post-war iterations, specifically referencing design hallmarks established by the brand in 1954:

The Bullet 650 features the iconic teardrop fuel tank decorated with a vintage-inspired 3D winged badge and hand-painted gold pinstripes. The front fascia retains the traditional steering casquette housing an updated LED headlamp, flanked by signature ‘tiger-eye’ pilot lamps.

The switchgear uses polished aluminium housings equipped with retro-styled rotary switches and adjustable hand levers.

The seats come fitted with a contoured, single-step bench design to offer optimised cushion support for long-distance riding alongside easy ground clearance for the rider.

The instrument cluster bridges vintage aesthetics with modern instrumentation, integrating a classic analogue speedometer with a secondary digital LCD layout that relays fuel levels, trip parameters, a gear position indicator, and automated service reminders.

The motorcycle debuts with two primary dual-tone factory paint schemes engineered to highlight its old-school lines – Cannon Black and Battleship Blue.

B Govindarajan, Managing Director, Eicher Motors and CEO, Royal Enfield, said, “For over nine decades, the Bullet has stood as a symbol of authenticity, resilience, and unmistakable character — defining Royal Enfield’s philosophy of Pure Motorcycling. With the all-new Royal Enfield Bullet 650, our approach was not to reinterpret the Bullet, but to elevate it with modernity and authenticity. Every element — from its proportions and silhouette to its stance and detailing has been carefully evolved to retain the pure essence and character of the iconic machine, while seamlessly integrating the power and refinement of the parallel twin 650cc platform. The interest since its global showcase at EICMA 2025 reaffirms how deeply the motorcycle resonates with the riders across the globe, proving it is the original icon of the motorcycling universe.”

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Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) has surpassed the 10 million cumulative two-wheeler sales milestone across North India, which includes Delhi, Haryana, Chandigarh, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh – accounted for approximately 15 percent of the company’s overall domestic wholesale volume during FY2026.

The milestone highlights Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India’s ongoing consolidation in key volume categories across northern states. According to internal wholesale tracking data for FY2026, the manufacturer secured an approximate 75 percent market share (nearly three out of every four units sold) within the entry-level 110cc scooter sub-segment in the region. The brand also maintained a strong volume share within the 125cc commuter motorcycle class, driven by steady regional demand for platforms like the Shine 125 and SP125.

To manage its regional sales volume and support vehicle lifecycle requirements, the company currently operates an expansive network of more than 1,000 authorised customer service and touchpoint locations across the northern zone.

Looking forward, HMSI intends to build on this regional volume foundation by systematically expanding its premium ‘BigWing’ retail network. This physical expansion will coincide with a strategic push to enhance its mid-size and higher-displacement motorcycle line-up to address premiumisation trends in semi-urban and metro markets.

Mutsuo Usui, Director of Sales & Marketing, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India, said, “Reaching the 10 million milestone in North India reflects how deeply two-wheelers are embedded in everyday mobility across the region, particularly beyond the large urban centres. Our focus has been on building consistent access and reliability over time and we see this continuing as customer expectations evolve.”

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Bengaluru-based electric two-wheeler manufacturer Ultraviolette Automotive has announced a major engineering pivot for its upcoming Tesseract e-scooter, transitioning the vehicle to a new 100V high-voltage powertrain architecture.

This shift, it claims, makes it India’s first electric scooter built on a 100V platform. To accommodate these extensive technical re-engineering cycles and subsequent validation testing, the official commercial launch has now been pushed to January 2027.

The technical overhaul follows a public roadshow across 30 Indian cities, where the company said it gathered direct consumer feedback from prospective buyers. Ultraviolette has received over 70,000 bookings for the Tesseract since its initial conceptual reveal.

The transition from a conventional 60V setup to the 100V platform was driven by the challenge of managing high current flow and exponential heat generation while chasing performance targets. The production-spec Tesseract is equipped with a 15kW peak power electric motor, delivering roughly three times the power output of mainstream electric scooters and mimicking the performance metrics of a 200–250cc combustion engine.

The production-spec Tesseract is scheduled to enter early assembly and tool-up phases by the end of 2026. Production will be handled at the company's upcoming manufacturing plant, which is set to boost Ultraviolette’s localised production capabilities from 60,000 units annually to 150,000 units to support the higher volume requirements of its mass-market scooter line. The company is targeting initial retail distribution and customer deliveries within the first quarter of 2027, with base prices projected to start around INR 145,000 (ex-showroom).

Narayan Subramaniam, CEO and Co-Founder, Ultraviolette, said, “Building the Tesseract has been an incredibly ambitious and challenging journey for us. As we pushed the platform further through development and validation, it became evident that achieving the benchmarks we had set for ourselves required additional engineering and refinement – especially on the ride ergonomics and radical redesign of the battery architecture. While this extends our launch timeline, it ensures that every Tesseract customer receives a scooter that is not only future-ready but embodies the Ultraviolette DNA of performance, technology, and reliability.”

Niraj Rajmohan, CTO and Co-Founder, Ultraviolette, added, “From the very beginning, the vision for the Tesseract was to create a scooter that would redefine benchmarks for the industry. Delivering on the performance and technology promises we made, while staying true to the Ultraviolette DNA, required us to rethink and evolve the platform significantly. The transition to a 100V architecture is a major step in that direction, enabling higher levels of power delivery, load carrying capability, and efficiency. Every engineering decision we have made on the Tesseract has been guided by our commitment to deliver a product that sets a new standard for mobility- in India and globally.”

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