Japanese motorcycle manufacturer Yamaha is planning to foray into the electric two-wheeler segment in the Indian market in the coming years. The brand is evaluating plans to invest in batteries and power units that could power future electric vehicles in India. According to reports, the brand is currently conducting a ‘feasibility study’ for electric two-wheelers in the country.
The brand has revealed that it already has electric powered products in the international market and it will be easy for them to bring those products to India. Furthermore, the company is also evaluating if it is possible to replace the existing internal combustion engine line-up with electric vehicles, but the brand also believes that a complete replacement of the ICE-powered engines with electric ones is not possible.
Therefore, in order to strengthen the brand’s presence in the country, it will keep developing internal combustion-powered engines, but replacement of ICE powertrains with electric will still remain to be a big study point. The brand will be investing in the development of power units and batteries as well as infrastructure. The brand has not yet revealed when it plans to introduce the electric vehicle in the country. But it is expected to lock horns with premium e-scooters such as Ather 450x, Bajaj Chetak, TVS iQube and the likes.
In the Indian market, the brand registered a growth of 33% in the month of December as against the same period last year. In December 2020, Yamaha registered sales of 39,224 units as compared to the sales of 29,486 units in December 2019. Since the resumption in production and sales, Yamaha recorded sales of 49,989 units in the month of July as compared to 47,918 units for the same period in the last year.
Recently, the brand has also applied to register a new moniker at the Indian Intellectual Property office which leads us to believe that the company is planning to introduce a new iteration of the much-popular FZ series motorcycle in the Indian market.