Yamaha is currently considering a new EV platform for India. This new platform is likely going to house a new performance-based scooter that is expected to share its underpinnings with the River Indie e-scooter.
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As per a latest report published online, Yamaha is currently considering various platforms to enter the Indian electric two-wheeler segment. Yamaha officials have confirmed that internal considerations are ongoing on whether to create a global platform or a domestic platform for future e-scooters.
Last year, Yamaha invested Rs 332 crores in River, a Bengaluru-based EV company that sells its premium e-scooter called Indie. This company is also backed by Toyota as its Indie scooter offers a competent structure for creating different EVs.
As per the report, Yamaha is eyeing to utilize this architecture by River to create a new e-scooter. Moreover, unlike its competitors, like Honda, which has stepped into the price-sensitive e-scooter market with its Activa Electric, Yamaha believes that performance-oriented EVs are more aligned with its global image.
Additionally, creating a new performance electric scooter is being calculated for financial feasibility. If the cost of creating a new premium e-scooter is not met by the Indian sales numbers, then a global platform will be more suitable so that the cost-benefit ratio can be maintained positive.
As of now, the officials have said that it is a long time before the e-scooter hits the Indian roads. This possibly means that it will take a few years before we can get our hands on the first-ever electric Yamaha scooter in India.
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The electric two-wheeler market in India has grown rapidly and sensitively. All the new products that are launched in the EV market are price-sensitive, offering more value and utility. It will be interesting to see how Yamaha will position itself in the crowded EV market of India.