Before 2017, Pakistan’s motorcycle market was built almost around 70cc and 125cc bikes. High-displacement bikes weren’t part of the mainstream market.
Honda’s Entry in the 150cc Segment
That changed in 2017, when Atlas Honda launched the CB150F, its flagship and most expensive motorcycle at the time.
Despite a higher price tag of around Rs 180k at that time and known oil consumption issues, the CB150F was a hit. Its youthful styling, LED DRLs, wide fuel tank garnishes, and silencer design gave it a sporty stance that won over young buyers.
Suzuki’s Answer to CB150F
Suzuki watched Honda’s 150cc entry and decided to jump into the flagship 150cc category with the GR150 to rival the CB150F.
It was launched in 2018. Initially, it was an imported model, and around mid-2019, Suzuki began local assembly of the GR150.
This 150cc bike is, so far, the most expensive and flagship offering from Pak-Suzuki. It gets all the bells and whistles you get on the CB150F, including dual-piston disc brakes at the front, dipper, self-start, fuel gauge, and handlebar weights, and its ride quality is a bit better than the CB’s thanks to a softer seat and plush suspension.
Hi-Speed’s Different Kind of Bet
In 2018, Hi-Speed set out to compete with legacy Japanese brands in the 150cc segment.
But going head-to-head with Honda and Suzuki with a plain Chinese commuter bike would have been like fighting a losing battle.
So Hi-Speed played a different card, the design. It leaned into a style that Japanese brands had never touched in Pakistan and introduced the Infinity 150, a Chinese-made 150cc and Pakistan’s first brand-new café racer motorcycle:
It’s not a great bike to ride at all; the riding posture is awkward, which hurts the back after 30 minutes. The suspension is stiff, and the engine vibrates more than it should. But it still sells in 2026.
Part of that comes down to a cult following in Pakistan’s café racer community. Riders who want that look have almost no other option; building a custom café racer from scratch takes a lot of money and effort, and the result rarely looks as polished as a brand-new company-made café racer like Infinity 150.
On top of that, the Infinity is better-looking than the CB150F or GR150, and for many buyers, that alone closes the sale.
That’s what got the 150cc segment moving.
Once buyers saw a Chinese brand willing to take styling risks that Honda and Suzuki wouldn’t, the segment stopped being a two-horse race between the CB150F and the GR150.
Same Buyer, More Choices Than Ever
Today, the 150cc category is crowded.
United has the CCR150, and RoadPrince has the Wego 150. And last year, Atlas Honda added a second 150cc option of its own, the CG150, priced just under the CB150F:
All of them are chasing the same buyer, someone who’s outgrown a 125cc, has more budget to spend, and wants a brand-new 150cc bike.
150cc is the Mainstream Premium Category, but the Ceiling Is Cracking
Nine years on, in 2026, 150cc is the default segment buyers move up to once they want more than a basic commuter.
We haven’t moved past it yet. But the market is starting to show the same signs it did right before 2017.
Back then, it was Atlas Honda that moved first and pulled the rest of the market up with it. This time, it’s Chinese brands making that move.
Hi-Speed and Lifan have both been offering 200cc and 250cc bikes as mainstream models in Pakistan since 2025, doing what Honda did in 2017, pushing buyers toward the next displacement tier before anyone’s sure demand is fully there.
Following that, just last month, GPX, a Thailand-origin brand, entered Pakistan with its own 200cc lineup.
Three brands pushing in the same direction at the same time is usually how a segment shift starts.
Atlas Honda Confirmed It’s Watching the 250cc Segment
After watching Chinese players perform well in the 250cc segment, Atlas Honda seems interested in stepping up its game and entering the space too.
According to PakWheels reporting, Atlas Honda, following a management session with CEO Saquib Shirazi, stated that the company may consider launching 250cc motorcycles if demand for higher-engine-capacity bikes continues to improve.
Why the Japanese Are Reacting This Time, Not Leading
In 2017, Atlas Honda and Suzuki moved first, and the rest of the market followed.
This time, Hi-Speed, Lifan, and GPX got to 200-250cc before either Japanese brand. Atlas Honda’s 250/500 cc plan is still in the “considering” stage.
Whoever leads a displacement shift usually gets to set the price anchor and the styling language everyone else copies. In 2017, it was Honda with its CB. This time, it’s Chinese brands setting the terms.
Can the Average Buyer Actually Afford to Move Up?
Right now, even the Chinese 200-250cc bikes aren’t cheap. They start around Rs 6 lac, which puts them out of reach for most current 150cc buyeRs
But that’s normal for any new segment in its early years; prices tend to become more competitive once more brands enter the market and volumes pick up.
If Hi-Speed, Lifan, and GPX keep pushing this tier the way they did with 150cc, competition and rising volume could hold 200-250cc pricing steady around the current Rs 6 lac mark instead of climbing further, still a stretch above today’s CB150F, but close enough for serious 150cc buyers to start eyeing the jump.
However, Atlas Honda is a different story.
Their pricing history in every segment points one way, the premium. The CB150 is priced at Rs 530,000 today, making it much more expensive than Chinese 150cc rivals.
If that pattern holds, a 200-250cc Atlas Honda bike isn’t landing anywhere near the Rs 6 lac bracket that Chinese brands are holding.
It’s more realistically an Rs 8-9 lac motorcycle, built for a buyer who wants the Honda badge and has the budget to pay for it, not the segment’s price-conscious core.
Where This Actually Takes Us
In 2017, Pakistan’s market moved up from 125cc to 150cc. The pattern looks ready to repeat itself, and we seem to be moving from 150cc to the 200-250cc segment now. But this time, it’s Chinese and Thai brands leading the change, not the Japanese legacy names that led the last shift.
In the end, it comes down to the same game it always has: pricing, competition, design, and value for money. Whoever gets that mix right will decide whether 200-250cc becomes Pakistan’s next mainstream segment or just another premium tier sitting above 150cc. Only time will tell where this actually takes us.
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