Led by exports, Bajaj grabs pole position in India's motorcycle market

A week-long shutdown by Hero MotoCorp gives Bajaj Auto a marginal lead over its arch rival

Riding high on exports, Bajaj Auto emerged as the largest motorcycle maker in India by sales in April, edging past Hero MotoCorp. The maker of the Pulsar and Discover brands sold 348,173 units last month, of which 221,603 units were exported.

Hero MotoCorp, on the other hand, dispatched 339,329 units during the month. A brief shutdown of its plants by Hero, due to the worsening Covid-19 situation, also helped Bajaj take the lead.

Hero had “proactively halted the plant operations temporarily in a staggered manner for four days from April 22 to May 1 in view of the rapid escalation in the