As per reports, Honda has filed two patents for its two new scooter designs in India. These are, namely, the Winner X and the NS125LA. Both of which are already on sale in overseas markets.
The Winner X is a sporty 150cc machine that sports 17-inch wheels. The scooter uses a liquid-cooled, single-cylinder motor as its power unit. The performance figures of this motor read as 15.6 HP and 13.5Nm. The powertrain consists of a drive that reaches the wheel through a 6-speed gearbox and a chain-drive system. As per the 2022 standards, the scooter is pretty well-packed as well. Notable mentions include keyless operation, fully digital instrumentation, a USB charging port and all-LED lighting.
The NS125LA, meanwhile, is a more practical choice. It takes the form of a 125cc family scooter, perfect for the Indian market. The overall outlook too is a more conventional figure. The scooter benefits from a functional flat floorboard and fairly conservative bodywork. Despite the similar displacement figure, it however does not share its powertrain with the ever-popular Activa 125 or any other 125cc Honda scooter sold in India. What it uses is a 124.9cc air-cooled engine. The out figures of this motor read as producing 8.97 HP and 9.87Nm. Thus, making it slightly more powerful but with a little less torque than the Activa. It also shares many of the same features the Winner does, barring ABS.
What’s important while talking about these scooters are the patents. Both these patent filings mean, Honda is protecting its intellectual property, rather than planning to launch the models here. Given the popularity of Activa, there is no market for geared underbone scooters in India. Moreover, the NS125LA is a China-specific model (where emission norms are less strict). This means that its engine likely doesn’t comply with Euro 5 or BS6 emissions standards. This pretty much rules out the possibility of either model being launched for the Indian market.
Also Read: Honda sold 3,73,221 two-wheelers in November 2022.