Hero MotoCorp has been quite on the roll this year. The brand not only got in many new motorcycles but also has seen a sales spike. The country’s first BS-VI motorcycle happens to be the ubiquitous Hero Splendor in its iSmart guise. However, it seems that Hero MotoCorp has now discontinued the 100cc sloper-engined Passion model. The company’s website doesn’t list the motorcycle any more. A quick round of calls to dealers also confirmed that Passion 100cc is no longer on sale. A few dealers did have existing stocks of the same.
The Hero Passion XPro was introduced at the 2012 Auto Expo. The motorcycle had a more sharper design than the regular Passion. It also has a side stand indicator as well as a new 110cc engine that borrowed from Honda. As a result, sales of the regular Passion had started dropping. Moreover, buyers liked the additional power on offer that the XPro model accorded.
It is likely that the Honda-developed 100c engine may not meet the upcoming BS-VI emission norms. Other Hero bikes that use this engine currently include the HF Deluxe, HF Eco, Splendor Pro, Splendor+ and HF Dawn. There are high chances that either these bikes will be phased out or the 110cc BS-VI engine may be plonked in. Honda is also in the process of fast tracking its BS-VI implementation and has stated that they will make use of fuel injection technology.
The current Hero Passion XPro 110 is available with i3S technology that cuts off the engine when the motorcycle is in neutral gear and the clutch is disengaged. This saves on precious fuel and one can restart the bike by just pulling in the clutch. Hero says that this contributes to lower emissions as well. Apart from this, the motorcycle also gets the mandatory CBS, semi-digital instrument cluster, alloy wheels with tubeless tyres and an optional front disc brake. Prices for the Hero Passion XPro start from Rs 56,050, ex-Delhi.