TVS Apache Rules : India’s two-wheeler sector is still a mainstay of the automotive segment, with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) dispatching 16.56 million units in the first 10 months of FY2025, a year-on-year growth of 10.7 percent. Motorcycles hold the top position with 63 percent market share, followed by scooters at 35 percent, with mopeds also showing some growth.
India’s two-wheelers market is expanding, with motorcycles accounting for 63 percent share.The top seller is the 100-110cc segment, while 10-150cc is fast growing segment. Buyers are moving to the premium 200-300cc bikes leading to a fall in the 150-200cc segment. Only the 150cc-200cc motorcycle sub-segment has not managed to grow, according to data released by SIAM. The post takes an in-depth look at why its challenges stand out against a backdrop of favourable markets.
The 100-110cc segment had a total sale of 4.83 million units in its favour, which was a growth of 2 percent and held a 46 percent share of the market. The next segment is with 3.05 million units, 15 percent growth, and 29 percent market share 110cc-125cc. In 125cc-150cc segment, the sales stands at 607,721 unit mark with a growth of 42percent, suggesting a 6 percent market share.
The third-largest segment in terms of volume, the 150cc to 200cc sub-segment, has been on a downward trend. With 932,332 units and a 9 percent market share, it’s 8 percent down on last year, selling 78,658 fewer units from April 2024 to January 2025. This decline is primarily driven by sluggish performances from major players such as Bajaj Auto, Honda, Hero MotoCorp, and Suzuki.
TVS and Yamaha Bling in the Heat, Bajaj, Honda, Hero & SUZUKI BURN
Examining the brand-wise performance in the 150-200cc bike segment from April 2024 to January 2025 away from the overall sales spikes, gives insight into trends and challenges: slow-sellers.
TVS Motor Co.
In the 150-200cc space, TVS Motor Co. dominates with four models of the Apache RTR series. With a total of 364,050 units being sold in the first 10 months of FY2025, the Apache commands 39 percent of the sub-segment ahead of Bajaj, seeing an 18 percent YoY increase. This places it ahead of the TVS Raider, which witnessed a 14 percent YoY drop in sales of 340,699 units.
India Yamaha Motor
Current fiscal year, Yamaha has achieved a 21 percent share of the 150-200cc segment segment with a 6 percent YoY growth to sell 200,185 motorcycles. There are two models offered by the company, the MT-15 V2. 0 and the YZF R15, the former, the MT-15 has become an increasingly popular model for the brand with a nearly 50 percent Year-on-Year growth while the famed R15, on the other hand, has seen relatively subdued sales.
Bajaj Auto
In the past 10 months alone, Bajaj Auto has registered 188,754 units in the 150-200cc segment, down by over 18 percent from the 231,374 units sold in the same period last year. That means 42,620 fewer motorcycles sold. Bajaj has nine models on offer in this segment, including the six Pulsars, the Avenger 160 Street and the two KTM 200s. In fact, while sales of the Pulsar range have declined by approximately 20 percent, demand for the KTM models has remained more or less stable.
Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI)
Honda Motorcycles India has registered a year-on-year decline of 36 percent for the 150-200cc segment, with 134,778 units sold, down by 75,653 units from 2022. The brand’s four offerings in this segment (Unicorn 160, SP160, Hornet 2.0, and CB200X (recently re-christened as NX200) have suffered a decline. Prompting a sharp slowdown for the Unicorn 160 — usually the top seller. But recently updated Unicorn 160 (December 2024 model onwards) with OBD2B compliant engine and TFT dash could push some more sales.
In contrast ships such as the SP160 have attracted strong interest, with close to doubles sales. Like others updated recently, this one also gains OBD2B compliance and a TFT display. On a final note, the Hornet 2.0 and CB200X (now NX200) are also doing well, showing that the tide is changing and people have now started moving towards bigger capacity motorcycles. UPDATE: The Hornet 2.0 and NX200 have both recently been updated and this should aid with the sales.
Hero MotoCorp
Hero MotoCorp follows at the fifth spot in the 150-200cc segment, with 32,141 units sold which is a 39 percent reduction Year-on-Year. The company has two products in its portfolio here in India, the Xtreme 160R and the Xpulse 200 4V, out of which, the Xpulse 200 is reportedly witnessing better demand due to its recent update.
Suzuki Motorcycle India
Between April 2024 and January 2025, Suzuki Motorcycle India had sold 11,761 units of the 155cc Gixxer and Gixxer SF, down 36 percent compared to the same period last year.
India Kawasaki Motor
The last of the bike makers on this list sold 663 units of the 177cc W175 Street.Are buyers in the 150-200cc motorcycle segment migrating? The 150-200cc premium commutaer segment is the third largest in the overall motorcycle market, but is feeling heat from both its 125-150cc peers and those segments above it. The 125-150cc bikes have seen a significant growth of 42 percent, while their segment share has also seen a rise from 4.41 percent to 6 percent, adding a decisive shift to fuel efficient options as cost-conscious buyers choose affordability over performance.
Now, the Union Budget’s promise of a higher disposable income could reverse the trend.
The 200-250cc (110297 units, a growth of 17%) and 250-350cc (703475, a growth of 3%) segments, on the other hand, had become hot beds. This is likely due to buyers shifting from the 150-200cc segment to a more premium and feature-rich options. This change is aided by the increasingly narrower price gap between these bikes and the high-spec 150-200cc models, appealing to first-time buyers looking for a mix of style, performance, and value.