Festive season 2019 now done and dusted, India’s automakers have begun ramping up the introduction of BS-VI compliant models into their product portfolios.
With the dawn of the new emissions regime just five months away, November has played host to the market debut of BS-VI models from Hero MotoCorp, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI), India Yamaha Motor and BMW, with others like Honda Cars and Hyundai Motor likely to do so over the next few weeks.
According to automobile executives, the acceleration of launches post the festive season has been determined by the need to offload as much of their BS-IV inventory as possible before their own BS-VI products cut into demand for their BS-IV predecessors.
“Automobile players wanted to sell as many BS-IV models as possible during the festive season to bring already bloated inventories to manageable levels. The slowdown in sales over the past year had inflated inventories, particularly at the dealer level,” a senior industry executive said.
In fact, automakers have been gearing up their production operations towards meeting BS-VI demand for a while now and have now begun implementing their launch strategies. “We have a calibrated (launch) sequence planned … and you will see us migrating over the period, starting post-festive until March,” Niranjan Kumar Gupta, CFO of Hero MotoCorp had told analysts last month.
Hero has even instituted a committee meeting every fortnight to thrash out its inventory management through the transition.
And, demand for BS-VI variants has exploded. Sample this. Maruti Suzuki’s BS-VI compliant S-Presso has already reached the top ten bestselling cars within a month of its launch.
November, meanwhile, has seen three major two-wheeler players all introduce major BS-VI models.
Honda SP 125: Honda2Wheelers India’s first BS-VI compliant motorcycle, the SP 125, has been launched with prices starting at Rs 72,900 (ex-showroom, Delhi), a premium of around Rs 7,000 over the BS-IV CB Shine SP on which it is based.
The SP 125 will be available in two variants including drum brake and front disc brake models. The BS-VI-compliant power plant of the new model features the firm’s PGM-FI (programmed fuel-injection) which it says delivers improved mileage and better performance over its BS-IV counterpart.
Hero Splendor iSmart: Hero MotoCorp’s BS-VI compliant Splendor iSmart starts at a price of Rs 64,900 and had lipped the launch of its rival, the SP 125, by a week.
The new Splendor is now equipped with a Fuel Injection engine and delivers an added punch with its higher torque, at higher fuel efficiency.
The 110cc engine delivers a maximum power output of 9 BHP @ 7500 RPM and an enhanced torque on demand of 9.89 NM at 5500 RPM.
Yamaha FZ-FI and FZS-FI: India Yamaha Motor has rolled our its first BS-VI compliant models the FZ-FI and FZS-FI, at Rs 99,200 and Rs 1.01 lakh respectively (ex-showroom New Delhi).
The Darknight meanwhile is priced at Rs 1.02 lakh (ex-showroom New Delhi). According to the company, all colour models of both FZ-FI and FZS-FI would be available as per BS-VI norms.
The launch of other BS-VI compliant line ups would be announced in coming months, it added.
Carmakers too have joined the launch frenzy, with BMW India rolling out announcing that all its petrol-powered models in India will now be BS-VI compliant.
It also announced that the diesel-powered variants of the models will be updated in coming months.
Production of the BS-VI compliant diesel models has already started, including the 5 Series and 6 Series GT.
The company will also soon begin production of its third diesel-powered BS-VI compliant model, the X1.
The next few months will only see such launches accelerate. Hyundai Motor India has announced that its upcoming sedan, Aura, will be powered by BS-VI compliant petrol and diesel engines.
The new powertrains will offer low vibrations, superior performance and high fuel efficiency offering cleaner emissions and efficient performance, the company said, adding that the model will boast a BS-VI turbocharged petrol engine, it added.
Aura will come with both manual as well as automatic transmissions. Honda Cars’ highly awaited Honda City BS-VI is also expected to be launched in the next few weeks.