Hi,
By default, when you install HikaShop, the setting "Characteristics dynamic display" setting is activated. With it, no variant is pre selected on the product page.
With that setting turned off, the default variant is indeed pre selected.
Now, even if some cases, merchants don't necessarily want to display the variant name next to the product name unless the user selects something else (for example, if you have a variant "please select" create and set as default.
So it's not really a bug, but a compromise we made for the name to display like that.
However, you can easily change the behavior.
Edit the file show_default via the menu Display>Views and change the line:
if(hikashop_getCID('product_id') != $this->element->product_id && isset($this->element->main->product_name))
to:
and it should work like you want it to.