Hero MotoCorp Limited is an Indian multinational manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters, headquartered in New Delhi. It is among the largest two-wheeler manufacturers in the world by unit volume and is the flagship company of the Hero Group, a diversified Indian conglomerate founded by the Munjal family.
| Type | Public company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Automotive (two-wheelers) |
| Headquarters | New Delhi, India |
| Founders | Brijmohan Lall Munjal and family |
| Former name | Hero Honda Motors Limited (1984–2011) |
| Products | Motorcycles, scooters, related parts |
| Parent | Hero Group |
| Listed on | BSE, NSE |
The Hero Group traces its origins to a bicycle parts business established by the Munjal brothers in Ludhiana, Punjab, after the partition of India. Over the following decades, the group expanded into bicycles, mopeds, and eventually motorcycles, with Hero Cycles becoming one of the largest bicycle manufacturers in the world.
In 1984, Hero entered the motorcycle segment through a joint venture with Honda Motor Company of Japan, forming Hero Honda Motors Limited. The partnership combined Hero's distribution and manufacturing scale in India with Honda's engine and design technology, and produced commuter motorcycles aimed at the mass market. The company's early models, particularly those built around the 100cc four-stroke engine, became known for fuel efficiency and reliability and were marketed under the long-running campaign theme "Fill it, Shut it, Forget it".
In December 2010, the Hero Group and Honda announced the end of their joint venture, with the Munjal family acquiring Honda's stake in the Indian company. The company was renamed Hero MotoCorp Limited in 2011. As part of the transition, Honda continued to license certain technology to Hero MotoCorp for a defined period while Hero MotoCorp built its own research and development capabilities and sought new technology partnerships.
Hero MotoCorp manufactures a range of two-wheelers spanning entry-level commuter motorcycles, premium motorcycles, and scooters. Long-running product families have included the Splendor and Passion commuter motorcycles, the Glamour, the HF series, the Karizma, the Xtreme, and scooters such as the Pleasure, Maestro, and Destini.
The company operates manufacturing facilities at multiple locations in India, including Dharuhera and Gurugram in Haryana, Haridwar in Uttarakhand, Neemrana in Rajasthan, Halol in Gujarat, and Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh. It has also established overseas plants and assembly operations in markets such as Colombia and Bangladesh, and exports to countries across Latin America, Africa, South Asia, and West Asia.
Hero MotoCorp set up a Centre of Innovation and Technology (CIT) at Kukas, near Jaipur, Rajasthan, to consolidate its in-house research and development activities. The company has also entered into technology and product collaborations with overseas firms, and has invested in electric mobility, both through its electric two-wheeler initiatives and through a stake in Ather Energy.
The company was led for several decades by Brijmohan Lall Munjal, who served as chairman until his later years and is regarded as one of the principal architects of India's two-wheeler industry. After his death in 2015, leadership of Hero MotoCorp passed to his son Pawan Munjal, who has served as chairman and managing director.
Hero MotoCorp's commuter motorcycles, particularly the Splendor, played a central role in the mass motorisation of small towns and rural India from the 1990s onwards, replacing earlier two-stroke motorcycles and mopeds. The company's scale of production and its dealer and service network across India have made it a benchmark in the country's two-wheeler sector. The 2010 separation from Honda is regarded as a notable case study in Indian corporate history of an Indian partner taking full control of a long-standing technology-based joint venture.