Hero Motocorp has always been the people’s brand in India, and it is known for providing quality and fuel-efficient bikes at an affordable price tag. Although it is the largest brand in India in terms of sales, design is something that has not always been the brand’s forte. Don’t get me wrong, Hero motorcycle designs are not bad, but they aren’t exciting enough either except for a few models.
Their concepts though are quite interesting. Take the Hero iON for example which is in the picture below or the newer Hero XF3R concept which looks like a big 400cc monster of a motorbike.
Hero iON concept
Hero’s Design Language: Evolution or still simple?
Hero has always made their bikes with practicality in mind. The brand enjoys its number one position due to its success in the commuter segment and that has been Hero’s identity for years. Hero has been seen as this family-oriented, commuter bike brand and hence the brand has continued selling their plain and practical commuters for years with a few stylish bikes in between like the CBZ and Karizma, although both the bikes originally had some commuter-ish elements still present.
Hero’s design philosophy in the past could be seen clearly when the Glamour was considered one of the most stylish in Hero’s lineup even though it was a commuter. Karizma brought some hope for a change in design language but we continued getting the same commuters until Hero and Honda parted ways and came the first product from Hero Motocorp, the Impulse. Although, it didn’t sell well the Impulse’s was a breath of fresh air and brought hope that Hero is finally taking that leap to change their design language.
The third-gen Karizma was introduced as a semi-faired rival to the Pulsar 220F with a stylish design. Even premium commuters like the Xtreme had good styling and Hero later introduced the Xtreme 200R (which honestly looked like a buffed-up Splendor) and the 200S, the latter being a faired bike and people actually bought the red variant and started modifying it to make it look like Ducati Panigale (And it does resemble Panigale to a good extent).
Although Hero bikes were underpowered, the styling of the newer motorbikes seemed more stylish although the practicality was still there like a chain cover and a kick which was getting committed by other brands. The Xtreme 200 series showed some promising design changes and the Xpulse series didn’t disappoint either.
The Xpulse series instantly became a success mostly thanks to their design and ruggedness which felt quite unique, especially at the price point it debuted. Hero also updated their Glamour and Passion models and gave them a modern and stylish look while keeping their older design still on sale for those who preferred to go old-school.
Hero also had a successful run with the Xtreme 160 lineup, which was and still is one of the best-looking bikes in the 160cc segment. There was a clear change in Hero’s design philosophy because perhaps the brand also noticed the increasing younger audience with a demand for stylish yet affordable bikes.
In scooters, Hero launched the Xoom 110 which was again one of the best sporty scooters in its range and was praised for its looks which were way more stylish than the Pleasure and Maestro models.
Back to bikes, Hero revived their iconic Karizma as the all-new Karizma XMR 210, which is not only one of the best-looking faired bikes in the 200cc segment but also one of the most powerful. Hero further upped their game with the 400cc Hero Mavrick, which came with a Modern retro design. But the spotlight was taken by the brand’s newest sporty commuter, the Hero Xtreme 125R, which came with a surprisingly aggressive design. The bike with its large tank extensions, split seat, sporty grab handle, chonky rear tyre and an LED headlight that looks like Kawasaki Z900, makes the bike perhaps the best-looking in its segment. The bike makes TVS Raider look puny and looks rather like a 160cc bike.
Hero clearly targets the youth audience by shifting its design language to more style and sporty while also maintaining practicality and affordability. The brand has also kept its older designed models like Splendor and Passion on sale to target the older audience.
