Auto companies Hero, HMSI, Bajaj, Ducati offer heavy discounts after ban on BS-III vehicles

New Delhi: Following Supreme court order to ban the sale and registration of BS III vehicles from April one, two-wheeler manufacturers like Hero MotoCorp, HMSI, Bajaj Auto, Suzuki Motorcycle, TVS Motor and superbike brands like Ducati and Triumph are offering heavy discounts on BS-III complaint models to liquidate stocks. Heavy sales and huge discounts on two-wheelers are awaiting for you. 

With 6.71 lakh two-wheelers out of over 8 lakh BS-III vehicles impacted by the ban, dealers said the immediate effort is to sell as many units as possible before the deadline. 

Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI), which had initially offered a flat discount of Rs 10,000 on its BS-III scooters and motorcycles increased it to Rs 22,000 later.   

Also Read : We respect SC verdict, will see if some legal recourse can be taken to help automakers: Nitin Gadkari on BS-III ban

The company said it is offering cash back offer of Rs 22,000 on its BS-III scooters and motorcycle models naming Activa 3G (priced Rs 50,290), Dream Yuga (Rs 51,741), CB Shine (Rs 55,799 to Rs 61,283) and CD 110DX (Rs 47,202 to Rs 47,494).  

Market leader Hero MotoCorp offered discounts of up to Rs 12,500 on its BS-III two-wheelers. According to dealers, the company is offering rebate of Rs 12,500 on its scooters, Rs 7,500 on premium bikes and Rs 5,000 on entry level mass market motorcycles. The models include Duet (priced Rs 49,480) and Maestro Edge (Rs 51,030), motorcycles Glamour (Rs 59,755) and Splendor 125 (Rs 55,575).     

Another two-wheeler maker Suzuki Motorcycle India also announced offers on its Let's scooter priced (Rs 47,272 to Rs 53,766) also offered a discount of Rs 4,000 plus a free helmet, while on Gixxer (Rs 77,452 to Rs 90,421) the benefit is up to Rs 5,000 with exchange benefits of up to Rs 2,000.     

Bajaj Auto also offered discounts and free insurance on its different models, starting from the entry level Platina to Pulsar RS200 in the range of Rs 3,000 to Rs 12,000 along with free insurance.  

Superbike brands such as Ducati and Triumph are also offering heavy discounts, up to almost Rs 2 lakh discount on certain models which are not BS IV compliant.  The most discounts are being offered on cruisers from Triumph in Mumbai - a whopping Rs 3 lakh discount on the cruiser range which includes the Triumph Thunderbird Storm, Triumph Thunderbird LT and Triumph Rocket III. 

The Mumbai Triumph dealership is also offering Rs 1 lakh off on the BS 3 supersport Daytona. In Delhi, Triumph's best-selling adventure bike, the Triumph Tiger 800 XR is being offered at Rs 80,000 discount, with an additional Rs 66,000 worth of accessories thrown in. The Triumph Tiger 800 XCx is also being offered at a discount of Rs 60,000. The Triumph Daytona is also being offered at discounted rates, with Rs 90,000 off on the ex-showroom price.

Ducati dealers are also in a rush to clear out existing stock of motorcycles by 31 March 2017 before the new emission regulations come into effect. The maximum discount is being offered on the Ducati Monster 821 (Rs 2.7 lakh). Ducati Mumbai is offering the Monster 821 at an on-road price of Rs 11 lakh, down from Rs 13.7 lakh.

The Ducati Scrambler Urban Enduro is also being offered at Rs 2.5 lakh discount, and is now available at Rs 8.3 lakh (on-road Mumbai), down from Rs 10.8 lakh (on-road Mumbai). The base Ducati Scrambler Icon is already sold out after the discounts were announced.In Delhi too, the Ducati dealership is offering a massive Rs 2 lakh discount on the Ducati Diavel, which now costs Rs 15.7 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). The Ducati Scrambler Urban Enduro is being offered at Rs 6.8 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), at a discount of Rs 1.7 lakh.

Harley-Davidson is offering over Rs 30,000 discount on its most popular model - the Harley-Davidson Street 750. The other Harley bikes, dealers say are all BS IV compliant. 

"If there are any unsold inventory left, we have the possibility to export as we are a big exporter to around 70 countries across the world," Bajaj Auto President (Business Development & Assurance) S Ravikumar told.     

The companies said the offer will be valid till stocks last or up to March 31.     

However, due to the huge rush following the discounts, 2-wheelers in many showrooms have been sold out.

"These are unheard of discounts ever in the two-wheeler industry," Federation of Automobile Dealers (FADA) past president and Director-International Affairs Nikunj Sanghi said.     

When asked about what actions were dealers taking following the apex court verdict, he said: "Our energy is focused on selling as much stock as possible till 31st March. Our people are calling up potential customers informing them about the offers."  

Also Read : Supreme Court reserves verdict on plea seeking ban on BS III vehicles from April 1

Dealer sources also say that in many geographies, particularly non-metros, the RTOs have offered the dealers an option to prepare the invoice and pay taxes on the unsold stock and fill up customer details over the next one week.

Two-wheeler marketers including Hero Motocorp, TVS, Bajaj say that the stock that remains unsold or stuck at factory gates may be exported to markets where BS-III vehicles are legally roadworthy.    

On the commercial vehicles front, Ashok Leyland said it wasn't offering discounts on any of its vehicles. "Our products are in good demand and we will not be offering any price discounts," a company spokesperson said.     

Mahindra & Mahindra said it is working on various options to work within the framework provided by the court order. Observing that health of the people is "far, far more important" than the commercial interests of the manufacturers, the Supreme Court said that automobile firms have declined to take "sufficient pro-active steps" despite being fully aware that they would be required to manufacture only BS-IV compliant vehicles from April 1, 2017. 

(With PTI inputs)