Hero Motors Limited (Company Overview, Business Model & Growth Story)

When you think of the Hero Group, the first thing that comes to mind is bicycles and motorbikes. Lurking in the group’s portfolio is a business that seldom catches the consumer’s eye but supplies parts to industry giants such as BMW, Ducati, and Hero MotoCorp. Hero Motors Limited is among the most followed stocks of India’s unlisted share market and is inching towards going public.

A Short History

Hero Motors is an automobile engineering company that manufactures alloy wheels, precision machined parts, gearboxes, transmission systems, powertrain components, and e-mobility solutions for e-bikes, two-wheelers, and other vehicles. Initially it was incorporated as a joint venture on April 30, 1998, as “Hero Briggs & Stratton Auto Private Limited." After the joint venture ended in 2001, the company changed its name to Hero Motors.

The company is part of the Pankaj Munjal-led Hero Group of the Munjal family, with Amit Gupta as MD and CEO. Its corporate office is located in Noida in Uttar Pradesh and its registered office in Ludhiana in Punjab.

1. The IPO Timeline and SEBI Approval The path to this IPO has changed a lot.
First Attempt: They had filed a Draft Red Herring Prospectus (DRHP) back in August 2024 to raise ₹900 crore. The Scale-Up: On June 30, 2025, they refilled an updated version, increasing the total IPO size to ₹1,200 crore. It has a fresh issue of ₹800 crore and OFS of ₹400 crore. SEBI Green Light: SEBI sent the final approval letter on September 12, 2025. The regulatory hurdles have been cleared, but the company has not yet officially locked down the precise launch dates and price bands.

2. Who Is the Company? “Hero Motors is of the Pankaj Munjal branch of the family, to avoid any confusion
It is entirely separate from Pawan Munjal’s publicly listed Hero MotoCorp. Amit Gupta (MD & CEO) leads the company with Pankaj Munjal and a corporate head office in Noida with a registered office in Ludhiana. They have been in business since April 1998, initially as a joint venture with Briggs & Stratton before rebranding strictly to Hero Motors in 2001.

3. Financial performance and efficiency bottlenecks A closer look at the books reveals some obvious short-term growing pains for the business
Top-line vs. Bottom-line : Revenue growth was modest at ₹1,054.6 crore in FY23 to ₹1,064.4 crore in FY24 (8.45% CAGR between FY22 and FY24) But the profitability was hammered. Net profits nose-dived 67% from ₹99 crore in FY22 to a meager ₹17 crore in FY24. Operational Stress: The company is tying up cash for longer periods. Inventory days rose from 62 days in FY24 to 71 days by end-December 2024 (9M FY25). The current asset turnover dropped from 1.3x to 0.69x. A big reason for the decline has to do with an aggressive, heavy capital expenditure cycle as they build out new manufacturing capacities.

4. Customer Risk versus Market MoatHero Motors has a very interesting product mix, divided between traditional Alloys & Metallics and high-tech powertrain solutions.
Their greatest advantage is that they have gained the first-mover advantage in global e-bike powertrains through their subsidiaries, Hewland (UK) and HYM Drive Systems (India). They are the only integrated electric powertrain maker in India for e-bikes and a leading global exporter of CVT hubs in a market expected to grow 35-40% through 2029. That said, prospective investors should be aware of their client concentration risk. Their top 10 clients (BMW, Ducati, Enviolo, etc.) regularly account for 74-88% of the total revenues. The loss of a major client will be a blow. Europe is their biggest playground, with around 29% to 32% of all revenue coming from there in recent years.

The Broader Picture

Hero Motors is a legacy transmission expert at a turning moment in its history. While continuing to serve customers rooted in traditional OEMs, the company is branching out into electric powertrains and e-bike drive systems. As the IPO progresses, issues such as thinning margins, declining asset efficiency, and customer concentration are to be monitored, but its export dominance in CVT hubs and a diversified India-UK-Thailand footprint make for a real structural case.

FAQs

1. What is Hero Motors Limited and who is the leader of it?

Hero Group has launched a new company called Hero Motors, led by Pankaj Munjal, to design and manufacture powertrain solutions, alloy wheels, gearboxes and e-mobility drive systems. It supplies major global OEMs such as BMW, Ducati and Enviolo.

2. Is Hero Motors Limited and Hero MotoCorp is same?

Hero Motors is not to be confused with Hero MotoCorp, the public listed two-wheeler company of Pawan Munjal. It is an independent auto component and transmission engineering enterprise.

3. What are the important details of Hero Motors IPO?

Hero Motors IPO has been approved by SEBI and it will be worth ₹1,200 crore. The IPO will have fresh issue of Rs 800 crore and an Offer for Sale (OFS) of Rs 400 crore. The net proceeds will be applied to the repayment of debt, capital expenditures for the expansion of plant and working capital.

4. Why did Hero Motors’ FY24 net profit decline sharply?

Net profit declined from ₹99 crore in FY22 to ₹17 crore in FY24 due to an aggressive capex cycle, increasing inventory days and operational stress during capacity expansion, despite robust operating revenues (₹1,064.4 crore).

5. What are the major risks of investing?

Key Risks - Client concentration high; geographic exposure to western markets high; margins under pressure; unlisted stock illiquid prior to public listing. Top 10 customers contributed 74-88% of total revenue.