Honda Navi production to be doubled

Honda two-wheelers plans to increase the Navi's production to 1 lakh units per annum, owing to the high demand of the scooter.

When Honda two-wheelers unveiled the Navi at the 2016 Delhi Auto Expo earlier this year, nobody – including the maker itself- expected this unconventional looking stripped-down scooter to do that well on the sales chart. Now, however, the Navi is generating strong interest among buyers and, reportedly, Honda is having a tough time meeting the demands for the scooter. As a consequence of this, Honda is planning to double the Navi’s production to 1 lakh units per annum.

After the official unveil in January 2016, Honda put the Navi on sale in April this year. Designed and produced only for the Indian market (Navi stands for New Additional Value for India), Honda initially expected the scooter to sell around 2,000 units a month. However, as per Honda, its dealers have already got a huge backlog for the scooter.

As told to the PTI, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India Limited’s senior vice-president for sales and marketing, Mr Yadvinder Singh Guleria, said that the Navi has surpassed the company’s target sales figure, and so the company now plans to increase the production capacity. Mr Guleria also said that no additional investment will be required to increase the production capacity since the company’s Tapukara plant in Rajasthan - where the Navi is currently built - has a flexible assembly line.

Additionally, Honda is also planning to start exporting the Navi to neighbouring countries. Last month, the company shipped 500 units of the scooter to Nepal. Next up, Honda plans to export the Navi to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Speaking of the Navi, it can be described as a moto-scoot that is meant for ‘fun’ and leisure riding. It comes powered by a 109cc single-cylinder engine that churns out 8bhp and 8.9Nm, and comes paired to a CVT automatic. The Honda Navi is priced at Rs 39,648 (ex-showroom, Delhi).

Also read: Honda Navi Review