It has been just over ten years since Hero inaugurated its sprawling CIT (Centre of Innovation and Technology) in Jaipur. The intention behind this massive, world-class tech centre was to encourage innovation and engineering – the results of which would be most evident in premium vehicles. Having conquered the mass-market segment for decades, premium two wheelers were obviously the next big step for Hero, not just in India, but for its global aspirations as well. However, as of mid 2026, the company’s premium push has been underwhelming at best.
This is not for want of good motorcycles. In the last few years, Hero has come out with some very impressive products, particularly the Xpulse 210 and the Xtreme 250 that we rode this month. Yes, there are some rough edges to these motorcycles when it comes to those last few degrees of finesse and quality; however, they are solidly engineered, and you can tell that they have been made by a team of proper motorcycle enthusiasts.
The problem is not the motorcycles themselves, but how they are being sold. Or rather, how they aren’t. Hero’s first Premia dealership opened three years ago, but to date, there are just 135 of these across the country. For India’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer, that’s a miniscule number, especially when the most affordable Premia-exclusive product, the Xoom 160, starts from just Rs 1.39 lakh. For some reference, Triumph, whose products are considerably more expensive, already has over 200 dealers in India.
The far bigger problem, though, is product availability. The aforementioned Xoom 160 was officially launched in January 2025, but we only got to ride it in September 2025, and customer deliveries were minimal till the end of the year. Even today, some dealers quote long waiting periods. The same goes for the Xtreme 250 – it was launched in January 2025, but Hero wasn’t able to send review units to the media until June 2026.
It also doesn’t help that Hero regularly shows off exciting new, seemingly production-ready products at motor shows, but then doesn’t launch them for as much as two years in some cases. The fact that the company discontinued its most premium bike ever, the Mavrick 440, less than 18 months after it was launched, also wasn’t a good look.
None of this inspires confidence in Hero’s premium products, and that’s a pity because they are genuinely likeable. Beyond that, Hero also offers some of the most aggressive pricing in the business, evident in how the Xtreme 250 costs a whopping Rs 48,000 less than the KTM 250 Duke. Customers should be lapping these bikes up, but that’s simply not happening at the moment. A prime example is how a friend of ours couldn’t even get an Xtreme 250 test ride from a Premia dealer in Mumbai this April (15 months after it was launched!), so he ended up buying the KTM instead.
This is surely not a case of inability, and it appears that Hero’s premium business is simply not being treated as a priority. In 2025, the GST rate cut helped Hero to further increase its lead in commuter sales, and it successfully fended off Honda’s push for number 1 in the Indian market. Hopefully, the company will now give its premium business the attention and focus that it deserves.
Avik Chattopadhyay
