The company decided to suspend production of their electric scooter models Activa e and QC1 in India as of August 2025 due to low sales and a large stockpile that had been accumulating over time. From February to July 2025, Honda rolled out 11,168 units of scooters whereas only 5,201 units were sold, leaving almost half of the stock unsold. Activa e was the worst performer with the terrible sale of only around 740 units during that time which was an insignificant fraction of the total two-wheeler sales in India.
A multitude of factors that led to the stoppage of production were mentioned. The lack of necessary infrastructure was one of the major problems. The Activa e was sold only in the three cities: Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Delhi, where the Honda battery swapping stations are located but consumers were not provided with home charging, thus making it more inconvenient and less attractive overall. The QC1 model, which had a battery that could be charged at home, was sold in six cities, and although it dropped slightly, it did not really manage to become one of the leading models in terms of sales.
One of the main reasons why Honda’s electric scooters had a hard time was because of their market rivals like TVS iQube and Bajaj Chetak, which had better availability, more infrastructure support and bigger sales numbers. Honda e-scooters were considered to be giving average performance and range for the price, therefore they were seen as less attractive than the competitors.
The halting of production symbolizes Honda’s hesitation in decoding the EV strategy in the rapidly changing Indian market. It is currently a mystery whether the company will restart production with rebranded models or in support of better infrastructure initiatives. This is a sad situation in relation to Honda’s plans in the Indian segment of the electric scooter industry, proving that the limited infrastructure, competition among players, and low consumer acceptance have not been advantageous for the EV field.
