Latest news with #VikramKasbekar
Time of India
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Time of India
Hero MotoCorp to roll out slew of new products in Q2
Hero MotoCorp is gearing up for a series of product launches this quarter as part of a broader strategy to strengthen its position in the domestic and international markets. The country's largest two-wheeler manufacturer has lined up new offerings across electric vehicles, internal combustion engine motorcycles, and its premium Harley-Davidson portfolio. These launches are aligned with Hero's renewed focus on expanding its international business footprint. ETAuto had earlier reported that Hero lost its top spot in retail sales in July to Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India. The upcoming launches are expected to serve as a counter to this growing threat. The top management confirmed at the company's Q1 FY26 earnings call that the new models were being developed keeping specific global market requirements in mind. 'We are now making products specifically suited to these global markets,' it added. In the ICE segment, the company plans multiple motorcycle launches in the 125cc category during the current quarter, aimed at strengthening its position in one of the most competitive segments. As for EVs, Hero will expand the Vida range based on evolving consumer needs. 'There will be more offerings in this space as we build consumer requirements into the product portfolio,' said Kausalya Nandakumar, Chief Business Officer, Emerging Mobility. Hero will also roll out its second motorcycle developed under its partnership with Harley-Davidson in Q2, based on the 440cc platform. 'One will be launched very soon... and going forward there are a couple of exciting products which will come in 2026,' said Vikram Kasbekar, CEO, Hero MotoCorp. Global ambitions The company is targeting 10-12 international markets with models tailored to regional demand. 'We would like to have 10 per cent of our revenue and volumes coming through from the global business. So we are quite aggressive as far as the global business is concerned,' said Vivekanand, Chief Financial Officer. The company remains optimistic despite supply chain and geopolitical challenges with the management indicating that production plans remain unaffected in the near term. Rare earth availability is a concern across the auto industry since it affect production of key components in EV motors and sensors (engine speed, wheel speed, bank angle sensors). However, Hero MotoCorp has this shortage covered for both ICE and EV production for this quarter, said the management.
Time of India
26-05-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
Hero MotoCorp sees 'mid-to-high' single digit growth for two-wheeler industry in FY26
Hero MotoCorp expects India's two-wheeler market to grow at a mid-to-high single-digit pace in FY26, buoyed by supportive macroeconomic trends, according to acting CEO Vikram Kasbekar . "With regards to the two-wheeler industry, riding on the wave of positive economic momentum, demand is shaping up nicely, boosted particularly by a strong marriage season in May and June. Overall, we expect the industry to grow in the mid and high single digits in FY26,' Kasbekar said in an analyst call. He pointed to easing inflation, falling interest rates, income tax relief and the prospect of a good monsoon as factors likely to drive demand. Continued government spending could further aid growth, he added. Also Read: Renault Group seeks CCI nod to buy out remaining 51% stake in Indian joint venture Hero MotoCorp maintained its market leadership in FY25 with sales of 59 lakh units. Its consolidated profit after tax rose 17% year-on-year to ₹4,376 crore, while total income climbed to ₹41,967 crore from ₹38,643 crore. Live Events On overseas operations, Kasbekar said Hero's country-specific product strategy in Latin America, Bangladesh and Nigeria was paying off. 'Our strategy... is yielding very good results, which is evident from last year's performance. And going forward, we are quite aggressive on the growth in the segment,' he said. On electric vehicles , Hero aims to expand volumes, gain market share and improve profitability. With inputs from PTI
Mint
14-05-2025
- Automotive
- Mint
Hero eyes 6x EV sales leap to turn profitable by 2027 amid fierce competition
Hero MotoCorp is eyeing a more than a six-fold jump in the number of electric vehicles it sells in a month, as it looks to achieve profitability in its EV business by 2027, a top company official said on Wednesday. India's largest two-wheeler maker, which sold about 4,000 electric scooters a month on average in FY25, wants to achieve monthly sales of 25,000-30,000 units as it scales up the business amid intense competition with market leaders Ola Electric Mobility Ltd, TVS Motor Company Ltd and Bajaj Auto Ltd. This would translate to annual sales of about 360,000 units by Hero MotoCorp in 2027-28. In the financial year ended 31 March, Ola Electric led the pack with 344,009 e-scooter sales, followed by TVS and Bajaj Auto that sold 237,576 units and 230,806 units, respectively. To be sure, market leader Ola Electric's founder Bhavish Aggarwal said in February that the firm would need 50,000 monthly sales of its electric scooters to break even. The Delhi-based Hero's earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (Ebitda) margin for the EV business improved from -155% in FY24 to -95% last year, as sales picked up pace. 'Profitability will be led by increasing scale, cost reduction by increasing localisation and the realisation of production linked incentive (PLI) benefits,' acting chief executive officer Vikram Kasbekar said during the post-Q4 earnings call on Wednesday. The company recorded a 175% rise in sales of its electric Vida scooters to reach 48,674 units during the year, as per Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) data. For its Vida Pro model, the company will apply for PLI benefits by July this year. The bid to achieve profitability comes as the competition intensifies in the electric vehicle space. Saji John, senior research analyst at Geojit Financial Services, said, "Hero's path to profitability looks plausible but there is still a long way to go. The company will look to expand its dealer network and compete with the leaders. Key thing to watch for will be how their affordable products in the electric space do." Hero MotoCorp entered the electric two-wheeler space in 2022 with its scooter Vida. In the first year, it managed to sell just about 1,000 vehicles. But since then, the company has seen growth pick up pace on the back of launches in the mass segment. Last fiscal, the company launched the Vida V2 scooter under the ₹ 1 lakh bracket, which the management believes has helped in boosting sales. Its market share grew from 1.87% to 4.23% during the year. 'We exited March with a market share of 7% and the growth is expected to continue as we scale up our products,' Kasbekar said. The company is looking to launch two new affordable models in the electric segment in the first half of this financial year. Its new electric Vida Z model will also be launched in July, which will be sold in the European and UK markets. The company announced on Tuesday that Hero MotoCorp will enter the European and UK market in the second half of the financial year. The Delhi-based company's revenue from operations rose 9% to ₹ 40,756 crore for the fiscal year ended 31 March. Its Ebitda margin for the year increased 40 basis points to 14.4% due to higher sales of premium motorcycles. Its net profit jumped 16% to ₹ 4,610 crore. Hero MotoCorp recorded sales of 5.9 million scooters and motorcycles in FY25, a growth of 5% against the year-ago period. For the EV business, analysts remain optimistic that new launches in the affordable segment should manage to help the company post growth during the quarter. 'Its current market share in the premium and EV segments is in single digits, offering scope for increase with new models,' Raghunandhan NL, Manav Shah and Rahul Kumar of Nuvama Institutional Equities wrote in a 14 May note. The electric business for most of the electric two-wheeler makers has remained a loss-making enterprise. Bengaluru-based Ola Electric posted a loss of ₹ 564 crore in the third quarter of the last financial year, while Ather Energy posted a loss of ₹ 234 crore in January-March of 2025. However, the country's third-largest EV two-wheeler maker Bajaj Auto Ltd said after the release of its October-December earnings that its electric business had turned profitable. As many as 1.15 million electric two-wheelers were sold in India in FY25, rising 20% from a year prior.
Reuters
31-01-2025
- Automotive
- Reuters
India's Hero MotoCorp CEO to step down
Jan 31 (Reuters) - Top Indian two-wheeler manufacturer Hero MotoCorp ( opens new tab said on Friday its CEO Niranjan Gupta would step down from the role, effective May 1. The company named insider Vikram Kasbekar as its acting CEO.
