Activa 125 challenger Hero Destini 125 goes on sale across India

Hero had launched its first 125cc scooter last month. Called the Destini 125, it was placed as one of the cheapest 125 cc scooter in the market. Now the company has announced that the sales of the scooter have begun across the country. The Destini 125 is aimed squarely at Honda Activa 125 and Suzuki Access 125, both of which are top selling scooters in the segment.

Hero first showcased a 125 cc scooter at the 2018 iteration of the Delhi Auto Expo. It had two 125 scooters in its stalls, one based on the Duet and another on the Maestro. The 125 cc scooter based on the Duet was rechristened as Destini 125 upon its launch. The one based on Maestro is also expected to be launched sometime later but it will be positioned higher in terms of prices.

On the occasion, Sanjay Bhan, Head of Sales, Customer Care and Parts Business, Hero MotoCorp, said, “We are set to delight our customers by commencing the national retail sales of the Destini 125. We are confident that the Destini 125 will be a strong enabler for us in growing our presence in this category. We strategically launched the scooter during the festive period in the Delhi-NCR market and initial response has been very positive.”

The Hero Destini 125 gets powered by a 125 cc energy boost engine which churns out 8.7 Bhp at 6750 rpm and 10.2 Nm of torque at 5000 rpm. While this may be not segment topping, it is similar to what competition offers. The scooter also comes with a i3s (idle-Stop-Start System), and this is the first time such a feature has been introduce on a scooter in India. Other features include digital-analogue instrument cluster, Integrated Braking System (IBS), side stand indicator, service reminder, pass switch, and external fuel filling. To let you know, these features are not available on the Honda Activa 125. Remote key opening, mobile charging port and boot light also mark their presence, but they are not available on the base variant.

The Hero Destini 125 retails at Rs. 54,650 for the base Lx variant and Rs. 57,500 for the top Vx variant. Compared to this, the Access 125 starts at Rs. 55,666 while the Honda Activa 125 starts at Rs. 59,921. That clearly makes the Destini a clear advantage over others in terms of pricing. It however remains to be seen how the scooter fares with the competition, especially at a time when more sporty options like the TVS NToq and Aprilla SR 125 are available in the segment.

All prices are ex-showroom, Delhi.