Honda Grom spotted testing in India!
Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India is expected to launch two new brands in the country within the year and the discussion on what brands and products these are has been stilted by Honda's traditionally strong secrecy. Could the Honda MSX125 Grom be one of the brands? Honda has renewed its focus on the premium motorcycle in the recent past, most dramatically by taking the flagship off-roader Honda CRF1000L Africa Twin and putting it into CKD production. Does the focus extend down to the MSX125?
While the Honda Navi shows that the India audience isn't averse to the idea of a fun two-wheeler, the low price of the Navi was definitely a factor in the buzz it generated and how popular it proved. But in essence, the Navi was a typically Indian way to approach a proposition. To take an idea, strip away the premium bits to find the essence of it and then replicate it wonderfully to suit an Indian price and expectation palette. The proposition we are talking about, in fact, is the MSX 125 Grom.
In sum, the. Grom makes under 10PS from its fuel injected 125cc engine and it features a full range of high-specification equipment including upside down forks, ABS-equipped front and rear disc brakes and more.
In fact, it would be the high-end specification that puts the idea of the Grom into jeopardy when it comes to an India launch. This sounds like a Rs 90,000-1 lakh two-wheeler. With a high spec and a massive fun factor. The small form factor Indian customers have shown acceptance for in the Navi. But will they feel the same way for a two-wheeler at more than twice the price?
We suspect that the Grom will be ready to launch at the 2018 Auto Expo. The price will be under Rs 1 lakh but not by much. But the actual launch will come once ABS becomes mandatory in April - that's when all two-wheelers will become more expensive and the price-value equation will look more favourable for the Honda MSX125 Grom.
We've already tested the Honda Grom in India and you can read all about it here
Images: Gaadiwaadi.com