The Honda Activa has sold 3 crore units, solidifying its legendary reputation as one of India's most popular scooters. The milestone comes 22 years after the scooter first debuted, and its persistent popularity over the previous two decades attests to its enduring appeal.
Honda released the Activa in 2001 as a 102cc scooter featuring a CVT gearbox and a four-stroke motor. Because of these qualities, it was a handy and fuel-efficient alternative for purchasers and its unisex style appealed to a wide spectrum of people. Activa sold 55,000 units in its first year on the market.
In the early 2000s, the Honda Activa held unrivalled domination in the scooter segment. It surpassed the 10 lakh sales barrier just 55 months after its inception, becoming the market leader in 2004-05.
The Activa had a significant overhaul in 2008-09, with the engine displacement increased to 110cc and fuel efficiency improved by 15%. This enabled Activa to continue its market domination, with monthly sales reaching 50,000 units, more than doubling the yearly sales total at the time of its launch.
The Activa saw a period of intensive activity following the debut of the new Activa 3G in 2014-15 and the first Activa 125 in 2015. Activa's expanded model lineup and enduring popularity aided it in reaching the 1 crore sales mark in 2016. At this moment, the Activa was not just India's best-selling scooter, but also the best-selling two-wheeler in the world.
The Honda Activa's exponential expansion is obvious in the fact that it only took 7 years to reach the next 2 crore sales milestone. It is half the time it took to reach the first 1 crore sales milestone. Honda reached 2 crore overall sales in 2018, and despite the pandemic's challenges, Honda expects to reach 3 crore sales by 2023.
The popularity of Activa can be attributed to a variety of factors. Honda has introduced even more amenities to Activa in recent years. Going ahead, there is a good probability that the Activa will be available in electric form. Honda has previously introduced an electric scooter in India. It is probable that an electric version of the Activa would be released in the future.