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ShareBangalore: Geared scooters of the Lambretta fame constituted nearly all two-wheelers sold in the 1970s and 1980s. The advent of sporty motorbikes in the 1990s, particularly from the Japanese stable, left scooters huffing and puffing.
And by 2000, scooters were fast becoming redundant.
However when Honda Motorcycles and Scooter India (HMSI) introduced its gearless Activa in 2001 the fortunes of the scooter market started experiencing a taste of the old times.
Albeit, this time around, scooters managed to shirk their image of creaking gears and noisy engines with suave looks and fuel efficient features.
A research report by rating agency Credit Analysis & Research Ltd (CARE) has revealed that while gearless scooters had a market share of 10% of the two-wheeler market in FY 2006, it climbed to almost 16% last fiscal. The comparable data for motorbikes shows that market share has fallen from 82% to 79%.
"Even as geared scooters have almost been phased out, gearless scooters have begun to eat into the pie of motorbikes. Equipped with latest technology, scooters are growing at a faster clip than motorbikes," said Revati Kasture, head, CARE Research.
Last fiscal, the two-wheeler market, including motorbikes, scooters and mopeds, grew by around 2.5% year-on-year to 7.4 million units. The scooter segment grew 10% to 1.2 million units.
"Multiple user profile of gearless scooters is driving sales. The entire family can use it unlike motorbikes, which are typically used by males," said N K Rattan, head sales and marketing, HMSI.
The company has a one-month waiting period for its new Activa. It also offers Dio and Aviator in the same segment.
An official from Suzuki Motorcycle said that unlike motorbikes, most scooter purchases are swifter and hassle-free as they are cash based. This helped sales particularly last fiscal when banks were unwilling to lend auto loans.
They are priced between Rs 26,000 for Scooty Teenz and Rs 46,000 for Suzuki Access. Manufacturers say they are popular among women and sell more in urban areas.
"Several scooters have been introduced in recent years as it's an under-tapped segment. It's not surprising to see more players entering the fray and further eating into motorbike sales," said S Srinivas, general manager (marketing), TVS Motors.
TVS will launch a new gearless scooter this year, expected to be superior to its current Scooty range.It recorded a 21% growth in scooter sales at 25,945 units in June compared to an overall two-wheeler sales growth of 6% at 1,15,488 units.
