The company is targeting countries like Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, and the UK which account for over 70 per cent of Europe’s two-wheeler volumes.
IMAGE: The Ultraviolette F77. Photograph: Kind courtesy Ultraviolette/Instagram.com
Bengaluru-based electric two-wheeler (e2W) manufacturer Ultraviolette launched its flagship motorcycles F77 MACH 2 and F77 SuperStreet in Paris on Monday, claiming to become the first Indian e2W maker to export bikes to the European Union (EU).
Speaking to Business Standard, Narayan Subramaniam, chief executive officer (CEO) and cofounder, said the certification process for the bikes in the EU took more than a year because of stringent regulations.
However, this opened up 40 other markets for the e2W maker.
He added, “While we’re going live in multiple countries, Paris was chosen for (the launch) for symbolic reasons.
“The Eiffel Tower is Europe’s most iconic monument — a good place to start. But yes, we’ll hold other country-specific events too.”
IMAGE: Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Ultraviolette Automotive, Narayan Subramaniam poses with the Ultraviolette F77 at the Eiffel Tower. Photograph: Kind courtesy Ultraviolette/Instagram.com
Ultraviolette has already made its debut in Germany.
The prices have been consciously kept competitive with comparable internal combustion engine (ICE) models in order to draw volumes.
While the EU has a strong motorcycling culture (both for daily commute and longer drives), there are not many options in the electric motorcycle space, which have pricing parity with ICE vehicles, he said.
Subramaniam added that BMW bikes are a popular option in Europe.
IMAGE: Another variant Ultraviolette F77. Photograph: Kind courtesy Ultraviolette/Instagram.com
In the first phase, the company is targeting countries like Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, and the UK which account for over 70 per cent of Europe’s two-wheeler volumes.
For pre-bookings up to July 31, the starting special price is euro 8,990 for the F77 MACH 2 (regular price euro 9,990), and the F77 SuperStreet will be available for a special price starting at euro 9,290 (regular price euro 10,390).
For FY26, Subramaniam expects to sell around 10,000 bikes, including in India as well as exports. Bulk of this would come from India.
“With our upcoming product launches, we are targeting a little over 100,000 vehicles next year,” he said. It plans to launch 10 products in three years.
IMAGE: Narayan Subramaniam at the launch of Tesseract (electric scooter) and Shockwave (electric motorcycle), in Kolkata. Photograph: ANI Photo
The company is on an expansion drive — it can make 30,000 units a year working in three shifts and aims to take this to 300,000 units in two years. It is also scouting for land for the next phase of expansion.
He added that when Ultraviolette started its journey in 2016-17 their (Subramaniam and his co-founder Niraj Rajmohan) goal was to build a “global brand from India” leading in design and technology.
“Most of our product planning has been done keeping global markets in mind.
“We recently unveiled a scooter called Tesseract. While it gained traction in India with pre-orders, there is also a lot of interest in Europe and other global markets.
“We have included features like 14-inch wheels and radar tech, keeping international markets in mind,” he said.
The company has raised $70 million so far and has spent the bulk of it on research and development (R&D).
Ultraviolette, which has so far sold around 2,000 electric two-wheelers, is backed by marquee investors like Lingotto (a subsidiary of Exor N V which has controlling stakes in iconic brands like Ferrari, Stellantis and The Economist group), Qualcomm Ventures, Zoho Corporation, TVS Motor, and Speciale Invest.
Niraj Rajmohan, chief technology officer (CTO) and cofounder, said, “This isn’t just the introduction of motorcycles into new markets. It’s the global unveiling of years of relentless research, engineering, and innovation, born in India.
“We set out with a bold ambition to build the most advanced electric motorcycles in the world. Today, we are delivering that vision to international customers.”
The founders believe that the European foray will boost sales in India as well as gain consumer confidence.
Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff
