According to reports, Yamaha is working on a locally developed electric platform for the Indian market and will launch its first EV soon in the nation.
Hero MotoCorp, Honda, Suzuki, and Bajaj have all entered the electric vehicle industry. While Bajaj Auto was an early entry, Hero, Honda, and Suzuki joined the bandwagon later. Yamaha, one of India’s top automakers, has yet to establish a footprint in the electric vehicle category. The Japanese corporation is working on creating a locally created platform for EVs in India.
In an interview with AutoCar India, Itaru Otani, chairman of Yamaha Motor India, revealed that while a final decision has not yet been made, the company will eventually enter the EV category in India in the coming years. However, no particular date was provided, and it remained unclear whether the electric vehicle platform under development would be local or global. “We fail to disclose the timeline at this time, but it has been set up. We normally design electric vehicles based on a platform idea, ensuring that they are suitable for the Indian market. “This is an important issue to consider,” Otani stated.
Yamaha has invested in River, a Bengaluru-based EV firm that sells the Indie e-scooter in the Indian market. The company is also doing a feasibility study to use River Indie’s platform for its upcoming Indian electric vehicle. “River is making inroads in the EV sector and doing a terrific job. We are looking into the idea of using their platform,” Otani stated.
The Yamaha Chairman spoke on the problems that brands face in India’s EV industry in terms of range, speed, and price. According to Otani, meeting customer expectations in the electric vehicle category in India is difficult. Since 2022, Yamaha has been selling the Neo e-scooter in several European markets. In Japan, it has also conducted a proof-of-concept study on the River Indie.
Currently, electric vehicle brands in India focus on providing customers with an affordable product. However, Yamaha is rumored to be taking a different approach, releasing a high-performance model in the country. The reason for this strategy is clear: the firm believes that performance-oriented automobiles are more suited to its brand image, which is also true to a large part. Yamaha is attempting to remove this hurdle, as performance-based e-scooters require massive battery packs, resulting in higher prices.
“Small scooters now make up the majority of the Indian EV market. We are looking at electric scooters with a focus on performance that are consistent with Yamaha’s brand. For optimal performance, larger, more expensive batteries are required. “This is one of the challenges we are assessing,” he said.
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