While Ather Energy has been growing steadily for the last few years and has expanded its presence in various cities, Ola Electric got a rousing reception right at its launch. This surely hints that the Indian market is ready for electric two-wheelers and the rising petrol prices are proving to be the final nail in the coffin.
Adding a new name to the list is Suzuki Motorcycles India that is getting ready to introduce a new two-wheeler in the Indian market on November 18. Reports suggest that the Japanese company may launch an electric version of its ungeared scooter – Burgman.
Though the company has not revealed anything officially as yet, however, going by the media invite that reads “Witness the unveiling of more.. per..” hints at the launch of a battery-operated vehicle. Even the teaser shared on Twitter shows a person riding a Burgman-like scooter.
It's time to bring some zest on the road! #SuzukiIndia #ComingSoon pic.twitter.com/xB8xHoQCZXNovember 11, 2021
The company is already selling a two-wheeler named Burgman in India; however, it is powered by a 125CC ICE engine. This is an ungeared scooter that is highly popular in its category and hence there is a possibility that its electric sibling might gain from its popularity.
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Tested for Indian roads
As per reports, Suzuki has already been testing the electric scooter in the country and it has been spotted multiple times by eagle-eyed reporters. These spy images suggest that the new scooter might resemble the petrol-powered counterpart with subtle changes – like a new blue paint job, missing exhaust pipe etc confirming that it’s a zero-emission vehicle.
The report in Rushlane also confirms that there will be little difference in both the scooter and says that the Burgman electric scooter, “will continue to sport other features from its petrol-powered counterpart that include a muscular body, LED head and tail lamps with LED turn indicators, tall windscreen, large and comfortable seating.”
In terms of pricing, the Burgman electric is expected to be retail around Rs 1 lakh and once launched, the scooter will compete with the likes of Ather 450x, Ola S1 and S1 Pro, Simple Energy One, TVS iQube electric, Bajaj Chetak among others.
Timing can't be any better
In terms of introduction of an electric vehicle in India, this is the perfect timing. There is enough awareness about electric vehicles, their cost efficiency and environmental impact among the prospective buyers.
However, the supply has been limited. Ola is yet to start deliveries though it is already working on an affordable variant of its scooters. Despite being launched over a year back, Bajaj Chetak is only available at a handful of places and despite of government subsidies then the company has hiked the price substantially.
Same is the case with Simple Energy. And while Honda accepts the importance of zero emission vehicles, it is yet to confirm anything.
Suzuki, which has a network of nationwide distributors, has a golden opportunity to dethrone Ather from being a market leader, if it prices the scooter aggressively.
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