Hero MotoCorp has officially announced that its first motorcycle, developed in collaboration with Harley-Davidson, will be available for purchase by the end of March 2024. The Indian two-wheeler behemoth also hinted at new premium motorcycles to be releas in the coming years.
During an investor meeting, Hero MotoCorp’s chief financial officer, Niranjan Gupta, stated that the company will launch mass-market and premium products over the next two years, as well as a new platform developed in collaboration with Harley-Davidson.
The new Hero-Harley motorcycle will target the highly competitive middleweight segment, and the first model could target the 350cc space, directly competing with Royal Enfield. In fact, the development of this upcoming motorcycle is well underway.
Gupta does not want the brand to be dilute and viewed as a “cheap Harley,” so it will most likely be sold through Harley’s dealership network. This collaboration also marks Harley-return Davidson’s to the mid-displacement segment, after the Milwaukee company discontinued the Street 750 and Street Rod 750 in early 2021.
After Harley-Davidson briefly exited the Indian market, Hero MotoCorp took over sales and service for the cruiser giant and is steadily expanding the dealer network across the country.
Niranjan’s statement also mentions Hero’s premium bikes (the Hero Xtreme 300S and the Xpulse 400, which were spotte testing a few months ago) making their debut in India next year. However, with the Hero Splendor and HF Deluxe already ruling the mass-market segment, what is the bikemaker’s next move? Perhaps more Xtec variants? More updates on these models are expect in the coming months, so stay tuned.
