HERO MOTOCORP BEGINS DISPATCHING THE PASSION X-PRO 110CC COMMUTER TO DEALERSHIPS ACROSS INDIA

Ahead of the big Indian festival of Diwali, Hero MotoCorp, the world’s largest two wheeler maker by volumes, has begun dispatching its latest commuter motorcycle, the Passion X-Pro 110, to dealerships across the country. The Passion X-Pro commuter motorcycle will be Hero MotoCorp’s answer to the likes of the Suzuki Hayate 110 and the Honda Dream Yuga, and will feature a 110cc four stroke engine. This engine has been borrowed by Hero from Honda, which uses the same engine in the likes of the CB Twister and the Dream Yuga 110 commuter motorcycles.

110cc Commuter Motorcycle as seen at the 2012 Indian Auto Expo
The 110cc, four stroke engine that delivers a peak power of 9 Bhp and a peak torque of 9 Nm, is the first ever vertically inclined engine that Hero MotoCorp will use in its commuter motorcycle range. This is quite a departure from the norm as Hero MotoCorp has religiously stuck to the horizontally inclined four stroke engine, that Soichiro Honda first introduced in the legendary Honda Cub. So, the advent of the vertically inclined four stroke engine in the Passion X-Pro will be a global first of sorts for Hero MotoCorp.
The 110cc engine is expected to be tuned for high fuel economy and smooth power delivery, two typical traits of commuter motorcycles bearing the Hero MotoCorp insignia. While a self start is expected to be offered on this engine, the Passion X-Pro will also get a front disc brake as an option. This is one feature that the competition, read Suzuki Hayate 110 and Honda Dream Yuga 110, does not offer. The Passion X-Pro will also get alloy wheels on the top end variant. The Passion X-Pro is expected to be priced at around the INR 45,000 mark. Expect the motorcycle to be launched in the next few days, ahead of Diwali.
The Passion X-Pro 110 is a very important motorcycle model for Hero MotoCorp, which finds its dominance in the entry level-commuter motorcycle segment, its bread-and-butter segment, increasingly coming under threat from rivals like Honda and Bajaj Auto. Of the two, Honda is the bigger threat as the Japanese two wheeler giant has made rapid strides in the commuter motorcycle segment with the Dream Yuga 110. On the other hand, Hero MotoCorp has actually seen sales falling in the last few months even as Honda has gained marketshare. So, this Diwali Hero will be hoping that the Passion X-Pro puts the bang back in its sales.