Bike sales pick up speed before Bihar polls-Oct 16, 2010,

Bike sales pick up speed before Bihar polls

Alok K N Mishra, TNN, Oct 16, 2010, 03.54am IST


PATNA: With pre-poll campaign hitting a frenzied pitch in Bihar, bikes are selling like hot cakes. Political leaders trying their luck in 2010 assembly polls are buying bikes for their supporters and campaigners to ensure better booth management and to garner maximum possible public support. This has sent bike sales zooming.

Motorcycle major Hero Honda, which has a 62% share in Bihar's two-wheeler market, has seen an unexpected spurt in bike sales. A senior executive at Patna's Patliputra Automobiles said, "In September, 1,200 bikes were sold from our Patna showroom and 1,300 bikes in August," he said. Sales figure in September would have been much higher if there had been no constraints in supply due to the Games, he added.

Ashutosh Verma, area manager (Bihar), Hero Honda Motors Limited, said, "September has been one of the best months for Hero Honda in terms of sales. We have been done very good business for the past two months. We sold more than 15,000 bikes in August and 14,000 in September."