Honda India Announces New Bike And Scooter Export Division

Yes, we would like a CB350.

By: Janaki Jitchotvisut

Apr 15, 2021 at 1:46pm ET

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Honda Motorcycle and Scooters India (HMSI) announced on April 15, 2021, that it’s forming a new division focused solely on exports outside of India. While the company is a subsidiary of Honda Motor Company in Japan, it develops and manufactures plenty of its own vehicles, including the very popular H'Ness CB350 it introduced in late 2020.

That bike, if you'll recall, later went on to be introduced in the Japanese market as the GB350 in March, 2021. Due to the widespread global enthusiasm for this bike, many fans are both eager and hopeful that it will soon be exported elsewhere, as well. After all, its chief Indian market rival, the Royal Enfield Meteor 350, is busy rolling out in international markets, including very recently in the U.S.

To be clear, HMSI has been exporting models since 2001, starting with its extremely popular Activa scooter. If you spend any time in many Asian countries, you will likely see this commuter scoot as it zips around the streets.

It's unclear if the unprecedented international attention on the CB350 helped HMSI decide that this was the time to move forward, but it wouldn't be surprising. The company has specifically indicated interest in meeting Euro 5 standards with its models, although it didn't specify which bikes in particular. With most of the world keen on convenient personal transportation in the wake of the global pandemic, HMSI probably wants to sell as many customers as possible what they want.

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“With an eye on the future, Honda 2Wheelers India aims to further consolidate its No. 1 position in Honda’s global motorcycle business while unlocking the next chapter of ‘Make in India, for India & the World’ in the BS-VI era,” HMSI president, CEO, and managing director Atsushi Ogata said in a statement.

“With this major organizational restructuring, the company is strengthening its business constitution and improving competitiveness to meet the high expectations from Global Honda,” he concluded.

Source: HMSI