Auto Expo 2014: HMSI announces Activa 125, CBR 650F, CX-01 concept and CBR 500R
Honda has announced its aggressive roadmap for India at the Auto Expo 2014. The company's current production capacity is 4.6 million units. These figures are churned out by the three plants Honda has in India. Honda is in the process of establishing its fourth factory for production located in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Operations are likely to commence in second half of 2015-16. The new facility will increase the total output to 5.8 million units. The products which were showcased at the expo are as listed below
Honda Activa 125Activa has been a highly successful scooter in India. It was a rage among commuters in the early 2000 because of its gearless advantage and good mileage. The new Activa is powered by a 125cc four stroke, air cooled, single cylinder engine. Transmission will be variator controlled autobox.
The exterior is reminiscent of the Activa i scooter. The 125 gets a front chrome bar and crowned head lamps with a sharper tail light.
Honda will put a combi-brake system, optional disc brakes and a digital meter, something which the scooters displayed had. Honda says that the Activa 125 will be on sale by April this year.
Honda CBR 650F
Honda will start manufacturing the CBR 650F sports bike in India by 2015 and it will available to customers by 2016. The CBR650 will be powered by a new 650cc, 4-cylinder DOHC engine that churns out its maximum output of 87PS at 11,000rpm and a peak torque of 63Nm at 8000rpm. The engine will transfer all this power through a six-speed gearbox.
Engine has PGM-FI electronic fuel injection and has been tuned for high torque specially in the low to mid rpm range. ABS comes as standard for improved braking efficiency.
The CBR650F is a middleweight and can be used for touring and racing as well. This bike once launched should put Honda in a strong position in the growing sports bike segment.
Honda CBR 500R
Another midsized sports bike that Honda has planned for India is the CBR500. The CBR 500R is a sports tourer. Sales of the bike are expected to commence in the second half of 2014 with a price tag likely at around Rs 4,00,000.
In international markets the bike  is offered in two variants the Street fighter and Adventure, though both of these variants are unlikely to be offered in India.
Honda CBR500R gets its power from a 500cc, liquid cooled, parallel twin engine producing 47PS of power and 43Nm of torque. Transmission duties will be handled by a six speed gearbox. The bike is heavy and tips in at 194kgs, in spite of its mass the 0â€"100 km/hr sprint is done in a claimed 5.7 seconds. The top speed is again a claimed185 km/hr.
The speed and acceleration are reigned by a 320 mm disc in the front and a 240 mm disc at the rear. ABS will be a standard feature in India when it is launched, just like its elder brother the CBR650F.
When the CBR comes to India it will most likely take the local assembly route and will fight for market share with the KTM RC390 and Kawasaki Ninja 300 sports bike.
Honda CX-01 concept
The CX-01 concept is a crossover between an off-road and commuter bike, with its target audience being the youth. The unique thing about this bike is that it has been designed at the Indian R&D centre of HMSI.
Features of this bike include high ground clearance, high damper rate and strong suspension with larger travel.
This bike is based on the CBR250R and we assume that the engine will be a 250cc borrowed from this sports bike.