Hero MotoCorp to take rivalry with Honda to Brazil, Mexico

Hero MotoCorp has set its sights on Brazil and Mexico, two big motorcycle markets where the Indian company’s biggest rival will be its former partner, Honda Motor. Hero is developing flexi-fuel engines for Brazil — the country uses ethanolblended petrol — with an aim to enter that market by March 2019. The launch in Mexico is likely to happen before that. Hero had previously planned to enter Brazil around 2016 Olympics, but missed that target. “We are looking at launching our products in Brazil and Mexico in the near future,” a top Hero executive said on the condition of anonymity. He declined to divulge any specific time frame. Market sources privy to Hero’s expansion plans said it is looking at entering the two markets in the second half of fiscal 2019.