Keeping to its stated objective of clocking 1.2 million unit sales from global business by the year 2020, Indian two-wheeler major Hero MotoCorp made the debut of the new solo brand “Hero” in Colombia. Six of its best-selling bikes went on sale in 120 outlets spread across the country. The company plans to expand its distribution network to over 150 outlets in a year’s time. Hero MotoCorp also became the first two-wheeler company in Colombia to offer four-year warranty on all its models.
The two-wheelers rolled out for the Columbian market include the 100cc bikes – Splendor iSmart, Eco Deluxe, and Passion-Pro; the 125cc Glamour; the 150cc Hunk and the 225c Karizma ZMR. Hero says that all the models have been competitively priced, e.g. Splendor iSmart (COP 3185000/-), Eco Deluxe (COP 2750000/-), and Passion-Pro (COP 3450000/-); the 125cc Glamour (COP 3690000/-); the 150cc Hunk (COP 4390000/-) and the 225c Karizma ZMR (COP 6590000/-) – all ex-showroom Bogota.
Speaking about the brand’s venture into the new market, Pawan Munjal, Vice Chairman, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director of Hero MotoCorp said, “Colombia is one of the top two-wheelers market in South America and therefore, it is going to play a significant role as we continue to expand our footprint in the region. We are currently building a manufacturing plant at Vila Rica in the Cauca province which will be operational by the middle of next year. In the meanwhile, we have today commenced sales of our bikes with a wide network of over 120 outlets spread across the country. Within a year’s time, we plan to expand this network to over 150 outlets.”
Munjal further added, “In the process of expansion and localisation, we will generate immense opportunities of direct and indirect employment, thereby contributing to the overall development of the economy of Colombia. Our vision is to provide convenient, fuel-efficient mobility, and we are confident our products will appeal to customers across different demography. Going forward, we will aim at making Colombia a base for expanding our operations to neighbouring countries in the region.”
Hero MotoCorp plans to launch its operations in Europe by 2015 and in the US by 2016. By the year 2020, the company aims to surpass 100 million units in cumulative production, annual bike and scooter sales of 12 million units. It also plans to have more than 20 manufacturing and assembly plants across the globe with sales in more than 50 countries by that year.