![]() ![]() Ultimately, Kinetic ended up buying Honda’s stake, and the partnership came to its conclusion in 1998. The brand could not make a motorcycle with Honda’s help as the Japanese marque already was in partnership with Hero to make bikes. ![]() However, in the late 90s, light-weight, fuel-efficient motorcycles gained popularity and Kinetic simply couldn’t compete in the market. This coupled with the reasonably light-weight construction made it a preferable choice for women as well. ![]() For a lot of riders, this aspect alone made it a better proposition than the venerable Chetak. The lack of gears made it considerably more convenient to commute in the city. The first product to come out of this partnership was the KH 100, the first automatic scooter in India. In 1985, the Japanese brand signed a joint venture agreement with one of the local manufacturers in India - Kinetic Engineering - to make scooters. Honda realised there’s a huge scope of growth in the scooter market too, which was then dominated by Bajaj Chetak. Honda’s technological superiority reflected in the bike’s demand too, as Honda made one lakh units in just two years! At that time, the CD 100’s reliability and fuel efficiency were ages ahead of its competition because most of the two-wheelers in the market were less advanced two-strokers. The new joint venture was called Hero Honda Motors Ltd., and the first product that came out of this alliance was the Hero Honda CD 100. In 1984, Honda teamed up with Hero MotoCorp, formerly called Hero Cycles. Honda knew there’s a big potential in India because the growing economy and population meant big capitalistic opportunities. The Japanese were known to have engineering prowess and the fledgling Indian companies needed their assistance to grow the business. Back then, it was a common trend for many Japanese companies to form alliances with Indian manufacturers to operate in our market. In the mid-1980s, the two-wheeler business in India started blooming with products from diverse companies like TVS-Suzuki and Kawasaki-Bajaj among others. From partnering with multiple Indian brands to being valiant enough to compete as a standalone manufacturer, here’s how Honda made a name for itself in our market: Its products - particularly the Activa - turned out to be so popular that it threatened the dominance of the Hero Splendor. Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India gave a whole new meaning to reliability and refinement in the Indian two-wheeler industry. ![]()
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