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With the domestic two-wheeler industry all set to transition to the new BS-VI emission norms from April 1, 2020, all the manufacturers are racing against time to liquidate the inventory of their BS-IV vehicles. Recently many two-wheeler manufacturers have launched BS-VI compliant products and the prices of these products are 12-15% higher than their BS-IV variants. So, for a motorcycle or scooter that costs Rs. 50,000, the price would increase by around Rs. 7000 – 8000, and for a vehicle costing Rs. 100,000 the price would increase by Rs. 12000 – 15000. Thus, right now, is the most opportune time for customers to buy their motorcycles and scootersand save 12-15% on the purchase cost. For instance, Hero MotoCorp, the country’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer has already launched two BS-VI compliant motorcycles, including the SplendoriSmart and HF Deluxe. The HF Deluxe BS-VI is now priced at Rs. 55,925 (ex-showroom Delhi). So, if a customer purchases a BS-IV version of this motorcycle today, he/ she can save nearly Rs. 10,000 including the ongoing discounts. Thus, today there is a significant cost-benefit of buying a BS-IV two-wheeler. The sustained benefit will also include a higher resale value for BS-IV two-wheeler later given the higher price range of new BS-VI models.

Manufacturerslike Hero MotoCorp are also fast discontinuing the production of BS-IV inventory, thereby making stocks of BS-IV two-wheelersvery limited. These two-wheelers are being sold on attractive offers until inventories last. According to a Hero MotoCorp dealer, “The Company is aggressively replacing all the stocks of BS-IV vehicles with BS-VI vehicles. There is little stock of BS-IV vehicles coming from the Company and we are also exhausting our inventories very quickly. By February, we may not have a lot of BS-IV vehicles left with us. ”Hero Moto Corpisin good stead for atransition of its entire product range to BS-VI emission norms. It has already discontinued over 125 variants of its BS-IV range of motorcycles and is only producing BS-VI scooters. The Company introduced India’s first BS-VI motorcycle, the Splendor iSmart in November last year and launched the HF Deluxe BS-VI within a few weeks after the first introduction.