Hero to Discontinue Maestro, Impulse and Ignitor

Worlds largest two wheeler manufacturer Hero Motocorp officially announced that the company would be discontinuing its recently launched motorcycles, the Ignitor, the Impulse, and the lone scooter, the Maestro. The reason the consortium refers to phase out its very first individual products is the technology assistance engineered in those three models from erstwhile partner Honda Motor of Japan. The news has become a severe massacre for Hero fans and those who own these 3 models.



The company says that the consortium wants to develop independent motorcycles but with some technical assistance of other companies which have already proved their technolgy in recent times. For that, Hero Group had signed couple of contracts with US based superbike company Erik Buell Racing (EBR) in February and with Austrian engine manufacturer AVL in March.



"We are just getting to know each other and seeing what we can get from these companies. As we move along, we may purchase a stake in them, beginning with a minority stake. Ultimately, the idea is to have them as an extended arm of our R&D set-up at Jaipur. We are already working with our alliance partners for a new on/off bike" said Mr. Pawan Munjal, Managing Director and CEO of Hero Motocorp.



"This could be similar to or much better than Impulse. All models before Impulse will stay. Royalty payouts for them will end in 2014. The new partner that we have tied up with will help us in aligning to new emission norms that come in from 2015. With AVL, we will work on engines while EBR will be used for developing certain kinds of bikes and other products like hybrid scooter," Mr. Munjal added.



Hero Motocorp has invested an initial amount of Rs.400 crore to set up an R&D at Kukas, in Jaipur. When the works get finished, the new plant will be the biggest R&D centre in Asia. The plant is sketched to be built in a 250 acre land, with a capacity of 500 workers at the initial phase.

Meanwhile Hero Motocorp ceremoniously noticed that the conglomerate would commence assembly plants in Kenya, Nigeria and some other African countries soon. Days ago, the company launched 14 models in Sri Lanka appointing, cricketer Kumara Sangakara and Miss Sri Lanka, Stephanie Siriwardhana as the brand ambassadors of Hero Motocorp in Sri Lanka.

For more read;
Hero to Open Plants and R&D Center
Hero MotoCorp Accounts in Sri Lanka