
Honda Two-Wheelers Records 5.5 Percent YoY Decline In May'25
The data interprets that Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India has suffered a 7.40 percent decline in domestic sales in May'25. However, the export witnesses a 14.34 percent increase.
If we take into account the MoM sales, HMSI witnesses a 1.34 percent decline in the domestic sales compared to April 2025. Honda sold 4,22,931 units, which now stand at 4,17,256 units. Also, there is a 17.43 percent decline in exports, as it exported a total of 57,965 units in April 2025, while the export figures for May 2025 stand at 47,859 units.
Also Read: Royal Enfield Continues With Sales Momentum In May'25, Retails 89,429 Units
Though the brand has recorded a considerable amount of sales and export decline, it has achieved a significant milestone in May. Honda reached a significant milestone by producing its 500 millionth motorcycle globally, marking 76 years since the company's first mass-produced motorcycle, the Dream D-Type, was launched in 1949. Moreover, HMSI announced the expansion of its production capacity by adding a new production line at its Vithalapur plant in India.
Honda CB750 Hornet
Also, HMSI strengthened its BigWing portfolio with the launch of several all-new premium motorcycles. The company introduced the all-new Rebel 500, X-ADV, CB750 Hornet, CB1000 Hornet SP, and the flagship 50th Anniversary edition of the Gold Wing Tour. Moreover, the E-Clutch versions of CB650R and CBR650R are also now on sale in India.
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Time of India
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Bajaj Auto starts Brazil journey on a high, gears up for long slog
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Bajaj Auto will continue to expand the premium envelope in Brazil, build distribution and start attacking the mass segment while building capacity of 50,000 and then 100,000 'in that manner, but step by step'. As he put it, Brazil is 'not an easy market to crack open' for two reasons: One, its manufacturing and regulatory requirements are such that it needs a certain kind of compliance. Two, is the reality of strong competitors where 'just a couple' of them hold 90 per cent share. The reference is to Honda and Yamaha which have been around in Brazil for many years while Royal Enfield, like Bajaj, is a recent entrant from India. Long-term game Beyond this is the fact of Brazil's sheer size which calls for distribution playing a key role. 'It is a long-term game and not something where you can walk in and start to build leadership,' cautioned Sharma. Aware that it would be competing with 'very evolved and mature, high-quality brands', Bajaj Auto's strategy was to enter from the top. 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Time of India
10 hours ago
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Engineering the future of commercial vehicles: AI, modular platforms, and virtual twins in action
Artificial intelligence, digital twins, and modular vehicle architectures are becoming central to India's commercial vehicle design and manufacturing strategies. Executives from Volvo Eicher Commercial Vehicles (VECV) and Dassault Systèmes India say these tools are helping the industry manage rising product complexity, cut prototyping time, and prepare for a future defined by safety, sustainability , and multiple fuel options. Speaking during the First Episode of India Leadership Talks , Sachin Agrawal, Executive Vice President, Product Development , VECV, and Tanuj Mittal, Senior Director, Sales Customer Solution Experience at Dassault Systèmes India, explained how the shift towards concurrent engineering, AI-driven simulations, and supplier integration is redefining the sector. Watch the episode here. 'The powertrain has become so complex that traditional design is no longer enough,' said Agrawal. 'AI and simulations are now essential to keep pace.' Mittal added that this complexity means the role of the designer has changed. 'The designer must be able to predict behaviour early. That's the real change. The ability to anticipate performance digitally before any physical build is transformative.' Growing complexity in product development Agrawal said the commercial vehicle industry has entered what he calls a 'fortunate era' for product development engineers. 'Our product development engineers are actually getting the opportunity to work on six different fuel technologies. It is electric, it is hydrogen, it is fuel cell, it is biodiesel, CNG, LNG and diesel,' he noted. Mittal observed that this diversity is also a challenge in integration. 'Every new fuel type adds distinct engineering demands. Unless we model all these domains, mechanical, electrical, and thermal, on one platform, the complexity becomes unmanageable,' he said. This diversity, however, has brought significant complexity. 'The powertrain has become so complex that designing through traditional means is highly time consuming and demands heavy investment,' Agrawal explained. Multi-domain analysis is now essential to integrate mechanical, electrical, and thermal systems into a single product platform. He added that customer demands are also influencing design choices. 'Safety is becoming very important and customers are demanding more features. With all these aspects, one very important thing is that we have a virtual integration of the complete vehicle platform in such a way that we can plug and play various modules.' Mittal said the benefit of such virtual integration is better decision-making early in development. 'If we model safety alongside performance parameters in the same environment, decision-makers can see the trade-offs instantly, instead of discovering them during late-stage testing.' Modular platforms for faster adaptation The VECV Pro-X platform was cited as an example of how modular architecture can future-proof a product. 'We launched it with an electric powertrain but ensured that this platform is suitable for all fuel options,' Agrawal said. 'Where we have placed the electric powertrain today, tomorrow I can simply remove it and put in a diesel powertrain, a CNG powertrain, or even hydrogen.' Mittal added that modularity works just as effectively in the digital environment. 'A modular digital model allows engineers to run multiple configurations quickly. You don't have to start the design and simulation from scratch each time, which accelerates adaptation to market needs.' This approach extends to sub-systems such as battery packs, hydrogen storage, and axles, which are being designed for scalability. 'Once I have designed an axle, by just changing some parameters I can convert it into a slightly larger one or adapt it for different packaging constraints,' Agrawal said. The impact on development timelines has been significant. 'In most cases, we have been able to reduce up to 40% of physical prototyping compared to three years ago,' Agrawal noted. Mittal said such reductions come from tighter integration. 'That 40% saving is not just from better designs. It's from having design, simulation, and validation all linked in a single workflow.' From sequential to concurrent engineering Mittal said such gains are also being driven by process changes in how design and simulation are conducted. 'No more are vehicles just primarily mechanical. They are a combination of mechanical, electrical, electronics, and a lot of software. All stakeholders must come together in designing and validating the system before even embarking on prototyping,' he said. Agrawal agreed, noting that these parallel workflows are now essential. 'If you wait until the end of one discipline's work to start the next, you lose time and flexibility. Concurrent engineering means everyone is solving problems together.' Dassault's Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) approach, powered by its 3DEXPERIENCE platform, enables this shift. 'ModSim allows both designer and simulation expert to work on a common platform. The designer is empowered early in the process to predict the behaviour of the component he is designing,' Mittal explained. He added that combining historical test data with simulation models has improved both speed and accuracy. 'The data accumulated through physical testing, when combined with the simulation model, makes it much more intelligent, faster, and accurate,' he said. Agrawal noted that this capability has helped VECV achieve better first-time-right results. Practical use cases: AdBlue and EV range optimisation Agrawal highlighted two recent AI-driven applications at VECV. The first involved Bharat Stage VI OBD2 compliance. 'From 2020 to 2023, we collected data from more than 100,000 vehicles in the field related to AdBlue consumption and emissions across various duty cycles. Using digital twin models and AI, we optimised where and when urea injection was needed. The result was up to a 2% reduction in diesel consumption, which is a significant cost saving for customers,' he said. Mittal said these results show the value of connecting field data back into the design model. 'Virtual twins are closed-loop. The more you feed them with actual operating data, the more intelligent and precise they become.' The second focused on electric vehicles and range optimisation. 'When it comes to EVs, range anxiety is very important for customers. We optimised regenerative braking and battery cooling using data analytics and AI-led algorithms. This ensured the Pro-X range EV has best-in-class range compared to competition,' Agrawal said. Mittal added that such AI-led improvements are repeatable. 'Once you have that digital process in place, the same approach can be applied to other performance parameters or even different vehicle categories.' Building supplier integration into digital transformation Both executives stressed that digital transformation cannot be confined to OEMs. 'Product development is a common effort today,' Agrawal said. 'Some work is done by us as OEMs, but a lot is also done by tier-1 and tier-2 suppliers.' He outlined three enablers of supplier integration: standardised file formats for communication, cloud-based simulation tools for smaller suppliers who cannot invest in high-performance computing, and access controls to protect intellectual property. 'We have trust among each other and know we are in safe hands when collaborating,' he added. Mittal agreed, noting that cloud technology is a key leveller. 'Cloud democratises technology. It offers easy access for suppliers who are not able to invest upfront in technology. Our 3DEXPERIENCE platform enables collaboration between all stakeholders in a secure and trusted manner.' Safety and sustainability as future drivers Looking ahead, Agrawal sees two themes defining Indian trucking in the next three to five years: safety and sustainability. 'In developed markets, safety is the buzzword for product development. In India, the focus is limited today but it will grow, driven by digitalisation, whether it is ADAS, electronically controlled braking systems, or steering safety systems,' he said. Mittal said digital tools will make this transition smoother. 'When safety features are digitally validated alongside performance and cost, it's easier to build the business case and meet compliance faster.' Sustainability will also become a central customer demand. 'Some big fleet owners now ask first about carbon emissions before fuel efficiency or performance. Some even define safety features as mandatory to participate in tenders,' Agrawal noted. Mittal added that sustainability is increasingly tied to efficiency. 'Reducing waste in design, testing, and manufacturing is not only good for the environment. It also saves cost and time.' AI beyond product development AI is also being adopted beyond engineering. 'Our operations team is working on Industry 5.0 to make manufacturing more efficient using data-based analysis tools,' Agrawal said. 'In sales and marketing, customer usage data helps us curate the right products for actual applications.' Mittal said this cross-functional use of AI is the logical next step. 'When AI insights flow across departments, from R&D to manufacturing to after-sales, you get a connected enterprise that can respond faster to customer and market changes.' Cultural shifts and skills Both speakers acknowledged that successful adoption also depends on skills and organisational culture. 'High-end simulation requires skilled manpower. We are proposing virtual assistants to help users cut down non-value activities so they can focus on core competence,' Mittal said. Agrawal credited India's young engineering talent for embracing new tools quickly. 'It is fortunate for us in India that young engineers are able to capture these technologies and tools efficiently, enabling us to provide better solutions and products for customers,' he said. As digitalisation accelerates, the commercial vehicle sector is moving towards concurrent engineering, modular product platforms, and integrated supplier ecosystems. AI, digital twins, and cloud-enabled collaboration are reducing development time, improving accuracy, and preparing the industry for a market where safety, sustainability, and flexibility in fuel technology are non-negotiable. 'AI is everywhere,' Agrawal said. 'It is at the heart of our operations, product development, and customer engagement.' Mittal summed up the shift succinctly: 'AI and virtual twins are no longer optional. They are at the heart of every step from design to testing to launch.'