Hero Maestro Edge to be launched soon.
Hero to add new scooters to their Maestro and Pleasure lineup. Zir to come next year.
Budget-conscious scooter buyers have many options to choose from – you have the prominent Japanese players and our home-grown Hero MotoCorp and TVS Motors. And now, Hero wants to up the ante with its latest addition, the Maestro Edge.
Based on the Dash concept shown at the 2014 Auto Expo, the production version looks exactly like the concept with a new badge.
Like the Maestro, the Edge will be Hero’s bread-and-butter model, so don’t expect a 125cc engine here. It will borrow the same 110cc motor from the Maestro to keep costs in check. The specs, too, will mirror that of the current scooter, and that means 8.1bhp, and 9.1Nm of pulling power. The Hero Maestro Edge will be in showrooms by October.
But, where exactly does the Edge slot in Hero’s line-up? Well, the Edge will be to Hero what, say, the Jupiter and the Wego are to TVS. Hero won’t just stop at the Edge. There’s also the upcoming Hero Duet, a unisex scooter aimed at young students. It, too, will run the same 110cc motor from the Maestro, and will be compete against the TVS Scooty Zest 110 and the Honda Activa i. With the Maestro Edge and the Duet, Hero will offer its customers more options to choose from, the way it does with its motorcycle line-up. The more the merrier, you see.
Hero is also working on the premium Zir, India’s first maxi-scooter. It will be the-range topper in Hero’s scooter line-up and should set you back by about Rs 90,000 (approximately). For that price, you get a single-cylinder, 157cc motor that makes 14bhp and 12.7Nm of torque. The Zir is expected to be unveiled at the 2016 Auto Expo.
So, where does that leave Bajaj, the only manufacturer that doesn’t have a model in the booming scooter market? Will Bajaj be forced to get going on that front? We think that should happen. Watch this space.
Courtesy : BBC Top Gear.