Hero Honda has launched the fuel-injection model of its 125 cc bike Glamour under the title Hero Honda Glamour FI. The bike will come for an entry level price of Rs 49,900. This will have a kickstart and drum brakes. The higher-end version will have self-start and disc brakes and will cost Rs 53000.

This is the first time that Honda is offering its fuel injection technology on low-end bikes anywhere outside Japan. However, the Hero Honda Glamour FI is not expected to be a runaway hit due to two reasons; one - the price difference with the existing Glamour is just Rs 5,500. Two - The Hero Honda Glamour FI needs unleaded fuel, something which is still not available in large parts of India.

Honda's Programmed Fuel Injection (PGM-FI) bikes come with better fuel efficiency and are more environment-friendly. The Glamour FI has a more refined design and its engine is integrated with a black color pattern and a unique FI logo.

However, Hero Honda is not planning to stop production of the existing Glamour model - at least for now. The Hero Honda chairman said at a press conference that both models of Hero Honda Glamour will co-exist for now.Honda is planning to fit PGM-FI on most of its bikes across the world by the end of 2010 to cut down on emissions.

Recently, Bajaj Auto had said that it too plans to bring out eco-friendly bikes, possibly running on CNG/LPG. In many Indian cities and small towns, small cars and heavy vehicles are still run on CNG and LPG. With with the Glamour FI, Hero Honda too has a clear step towards going green.