Mahindra Centuro: Indian bike of the Year 2013?

Mahindra Centuro was launched in July last year along with Pantero. With these 2 machines Mahindra two wheelers wanted to compete in the commuter section of India, long dominated by Hero and Bajaj. Where the Pantero failed, Centuro cannot be dubbed as anything but a success. The Mahindra Centuro has enjoyed some freaky six months since its release, but do the numbers, the reviews, the features and most importantly the price, make it India’s bike of the year for 2013?

Mahindra Centuro, bike with a Car’s feature:

Lets first look at the pure biking stats. The Centuro has a 106.7-cc, MCi-5 (Micro Chip Ignited-5 Curve) single cylinder engine. Air cooled by a four-stroke motor developing 8.4PS and a four-speed transmission. It produces 8.5 bhp at 8500 rpm and a maximum torque of 8.5 Nm at 5500 rpm. It has four speed manual transmission and can zoom to 60kmph from rest in 8.9 seconds.

Nothing special there. Discover, Passion, Splendor do the same stuff more or less. What makes Mahindra stand out is its “out of the box feature”.

• The Mahindra Centuro comes with a Remote Flip Key.
• It is the first bike in India that comes with a Anti Theft 96-bit encryption, which basically means if someone tries to steal your bike, the engine will shut down (like a high end Nissan car).
• The bike key can be used to start follow-me-home lights that stay on for while after the key is removed from the ignition.
• Flashing lights with an alarm that aids locating the motorcycle in crowded parking lots.
• A LED torch on the key to help find the ignition slot in case you’ve parked in a low-lit area.

All these are considered premium features on high end cars, while the Mahindra Centuro offers them at entry-level. None of these features are game changers mind you, but each one of them adds a bit of ingenuity to the vehicle, making it that much more easy to use. And what more, we aren’t done yet.

Mahindra Centuro features a Fully lit digital dashboard. With information like next service, distance to empty along with the usual offerings of a Sport bike. It is an unusually comprehensive feature, which again is auspicious by its presence.

The Mahindra Way:

When the Mahindra Centuro was launched, it was launched with a gameplan. This wasn’t a test run, of throwing something onto the wall until they found something that could stick. Mahindra like they have always done, launched a vehicle loaded with advanced features at very competitive prices. Their tried and tested strategy of cost-effective premium offerings in the 4 wheeler section (Scorpio and XUV anyone) paid off in the 2 wheeler market too.

The introductory price of the Mahindra Centuro was supposed to be Rs.44,000. The special price tag was applicable to the first 10,000 buyers and was supposed to boost the bike’s sales. Only that number was crossed in 18 days flat. Now I am not sure, if those numbers are record breaking or not. But for a debut in an Indian market who put a premium on brand loyalty it was impressive.

The future:

Currently the Mahindra Centuro is available at Rs.45,000 ex-showroom price Delhi. You can find the actual prices for your state by checking out the bike’s website here. The Centuro currently comes in 2 version, the only difference between the 2: front disc brakes. The Centuro is available in 2 colors: Red and Black.

Mahindra Centuro had sold more than 70,000 units by December 2013. Those numbers alone should be an indication that Mahindra are on the right track. Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra said the company’s success in the two-wheeler territory had proved wrong skeptics who had advised him against venturing into the segment. If nothing else, Mahindra Centuro has added an able competitor into the commuter market. In the long run, they will challenge Bajaj and Hero to pull up their socks, and bring out bikes who just don’t sell on prices but also on features.

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As far as we at Riderzone go, we enjoy our Pulsars, Dukes, Harley and Karizmas. But we really think that if there is a bike that deserves the title of ‘Bike Of The Year 2013’, it certainly Mahindra Centuro.

What do you think. Does the Mahindra Centuro challenges the norm of the commuter section. Is it just a fading fad. Do you own a Centuro, or are looking to buy one. Why or why not, would you prefer the Mahindra Centuro. Sound off in the comments.