In a landmark achievement, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India Pvt Ltd has reached a cumulative sales of 40 million units (including export). The company has achieved this feat in just 18 years since it started operations in India. While it reached the 10 million mark in the first 11 years, the next three years saw addition of another 10 million customers. It reached the 20 million mark in 14 years since its inception in India back in 1999. HMSI has four manufacturing plants in India located in Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Karnataka.
This year, the exports crossed two million mark for the company. This year, the Activa reached the 20 million mark and in 2017, the Activa became the bestselling two-wheeler in the country. Exports were started back in 2002 from its Manesar plant in Haryana. Guess the 40 millionth two wheeler which rolled out from the assembly lines? Yes, it is the iconic Activa. Riding high on scooterisation, the company has sold 25 million scooters worldwide.
On the milestone, Minoru Kato, president and CEO – Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. said, “We are honoured by the love and trust that 40 million customers have bestowed on brand Honda in such a short time. Since the very start, Honda is led by a challenging spirit bringing Joy to millions of customers with high quality innovative products.”
On achieving the 40 million cumulative sales mark, Yadvinder Singh Guleria, senior vice president – sales and marketing, HMSI said, “Honda 2Wheelers India is proud to power every flight on wings for more than 40 million two-wheeler riders. With an extensive range of scooters & motorcycles, rapidly expanding network, adding customer friendly services, Honda is all set to further delight its customers in pursuit of their dreams.”
There’s more. HMSI has expansion plans to boost its capacity to 70 lakh units annually by 2020, which will further give a shot in the arm for its sales in India and abroad.
Here is the timeline of its achievements:
| Year | Milestone |
| 1999 | – Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. (HMSI) is incorporated |
| 2001 | – First plant in Manesar starts production. The first model Activa makes debut |
| 2002 | -Honda starts exports from India |
| 2004 | – Enters the motorcycle market with 150cc CB Unicorn
– Becomes No. 1 brand in scooter segment led by Activa |
| 2006 | – Diversifies in the motorcycle segment with launch of 125cc CB Shine |
| 2008 | – Only two-wheeler company to continue to grow double-digit in the time of world economic slowdown |
| 2009 | – Introduces Combi-Brake System with Equalizer technology – An industry First |
| 2011 | – Inaugurates 2nd manufacturing plant at Tapukara (Rajasthan) of 1.2 million units capacity |
| 2012 | – Becomes Only Honda in Indian Two-wheeler Industry
– Enters mass motorcycle segment with 110cc Dream Yuga – Akshay Kumar associates with Honda as First brand ambassador – New Technical Centre with integrated SEDBQ function inaugurated |
| 2013 | – Inaugurates 3rd plant at Narsapura (Karnataka) with 1.2 million units capacity
– Honda Eco Technology (HET) introduced for improved mileage |
| 2014 | – Expands capacity at 3rd manufacturing plant to 1.8 million units |
| 2015 | – Launches 15 new models in 2015
– First Make in India big bike CBR 650F launched. |
| 2016 | – Inaugurates 4th manufacturing plant at Vithalapur (Gujarat) of 1.2 million units’ capacity
– Honda 2Wheeler India sales cross 5 million mark annually for first year |
| 2017 | – Expands capacity at 3rd manufacturing plant to 2.4 million units, total capacity reaches 6.4 million units annually at four plants
– Iconic Activa becomes India’s No. 1 selling two-wheeler |
| 2018 | – Historic 40 million cumulative sales milestone achieved
– Announced investment of INR 6.3 billion in Honda’s Vithalapur Plant in Gujarat – Scooterization escalates to 25 million Honda scooter sales – Exports cross 2 million mark – India’s top selling two-wheeler Activa breached historic 20 million customer mark – CB Shine crossed the 7 million customer base mark -Honda launches its biggest and 100% digital customer loyalty program ‘Honda Joy Club’ – a two-wheeler industry first. |