Hero Honda was one of the biggest 2-wheeler brands in the country with a major chunk of the Indian 2-wheeler market in their pocket right until a couple of years ago when due to ongoing internal riff, Indian automobile company, Hero Ltd. split their ways with their Japanese partners, Honda. Since their separation, Hero has been trying hard to keep its hold on the Indian market and has announced several new products and released revamped versions of almost all of their successful models.
Hero Splendor NXG was the revamped version of one of the most successful bikes to come from the Hero Honda stable. Succeeding the successful CD100, the first Splendor came out in the year 1994. Marketed as a simple looking, no-nonsense and highly economical bike, the Splendor became an instant hit. Coming with a 100 cc air cooled 4-stroke engine that has been revamped many times over the years, the Splendor was targeted at the commuter segment in the Indian market.
Lovingly called the common man’s bike, the Splendor has undergone many changes over the years since its inception. The first major overhaul came in the year 2004, when the bike was renamed as Splendor+ and came with all new graphics, headlights and taillights, and also featured a multi-reflector. The bike was given another overhaul in the year 2007 when the body was changed, and alloy wheels were added to the bike along with slight improvement in the engine too. In 2011, Hero Honda launched the Splendor Pro which came with self-start, improved engine, and change in the body fairing. Since the split of Hero and Honda in the year 2011, Splendor was produced only by Hero MotoCorp.
The most recent upgrade to the Splendor bikes was the Splendor NXG that was launched as a more youthful and sporty version of the ultra-successful Splendor. Priced at around Rs. 45,000 the Splendor NXG came in 4 different models with the highest priced one coming with features like self-start and alloy wheels, uncommon for a 100 cc commuter.
Recently though, the Splendor NXG was discontinued and removed from the products listed on Hero MotoCorp’s official website. The reason for the discontinuation of the bike, even though it enjoyed a moderate success in a market full of competition, is the release of the all new Splendor iSmart. The iSmart is expected to replace the successful Splendor NXG and carry the Splendor legacy forward.
