Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) is set to completely overhaul its model line-up to meet upcoming BS-VI emission norms. The company says that its major investments are being done to significantly revamp the major portion of its existing portfolio, an approach it is adopting differently from the rest of the market.
While most two-wheeler OEMs are looking to incorporate electronic fuel injection (EFI), three-way catalytic converter, an O2 sensor, electronic control unit (ECU) and an on-board diagnostic (OBD-I) module in their conventional four-stroke scooters and motorcycles, HMSI, which has a 26 percent share of the two-wheeler market is working on a major model revamp in its portfolio.
In addition to upgrading its powertrain technology to comply with the stricter norms that'll kick in from April 1, 2020, Honda is also working on new architectural platforms to re-energise a good number of its existing models.
In an exclusive interaction with our sister publication Autocar Professional, Yadvinder Singh Guleria, senior vice-president and operating head (sales and marketing), HMSI, said, “Currently, all our focus is on BS-VI because it not only requires a technological change in our line-up, but the models will be built on entirely new platforms too. Yes, there will be a change in the engines but there will also be changes in terms of frame and chassis across the majority of our current line-up. This is what we have decided, which may not be true for the entire industry. BS-VI is going to be a very big change for us."
Although HMSI hasn’t finalised a cut-off date for switching over production to BS-VI, the transition, according to Guleria, “will vary from manufacturer to manufacturer and everyone will have their own strategy. This is because everyone has a different number of products on offer and whether one wants to carry forward all the product lines into BS VI will be the first consideration point.”