NewsReaper

/India PRwire/ - BSA Motors, a Strategic Business Unit of Tube Investments of India (TII), part of the Rs.9582 crore (USD 2.4billion) Murugappa Group, launched five models of BSA eScooters today in the city. The eScooters are manufactured at the BSA Motors new plant in Ambattur, with an investment of Rs.200 million for the first phase. The Ambattur plant has an initial production capacity of 150 eScooters a day which can be ramped upto 300 units per day as and when required. The first batch of eScooters would be rolled out from Chennai on 10th November 2008.

BSA Motors announced Actress Tamannah, the rising star in south Indian movies as the brand ambassador for BSA eScooters, to create strong linkage with the target audience of the age group between 14 to 30 years. She has acted in trendsetting films like ‘Happy Days’ in Telugu and ‘Kalloori’ in Tamil.

Mr. M A Alagappan, Executive Chairman, Murugappa Group launched the product range. The management of BSA Motors comprises of Mr. M M Murugappan, Chairman, Tube Investments of India, Mr L Ramkumar Managing Director, Tube Investments India, Mr. Arun Alagappan, Senior Vice President, BSA Motors and Mr. K B Srinivasan, General Manager, BSA Motors.

The five models of the BSA eScooters are,

· Smile - The most competitively priced e-Scooter in the country for the age group of 13 to 18 years; 250 W, top speed of 25kmph. License and Registration is not required for riding this eScooter

· Diva - First e-Scooter designed exclusively for girls in the age group of 16 to 20 years; 250 W, top speed of 25kmph. License and Registration is not required for riding this eScooter

· Street Rider - Unisex sportz model from teen to twenties; 250 W, top speed of 25kmph. License and Registration is not required for riding this eScooter

· Roamer - For working men and women for the age group of 18 to 25 years; 500 W, top speed of 40kmph, requires license and registration.

· Roamer+ - The Family eScooter; 800W, top speed of 45kmph, requires license and registration

Commenting on the occasion, Mr. M M Murugappan, Chairman, Tube Investments of Indiasaid, “We see our entry into the electric two wheeler market as a logical extension of our current business, from bicycles to electric two wheelers. The eScooters is presently a Rs.450 crore market in India and the industry is expected to double in a year’s time. BSA’s foray into the eScooters category helps us to expand our portfolio in the two wheeler market. He also added, “BSA eScooters will undoubtedly be the next big success from TII.”

The Ambattur plant will have facility for painting, assembly and testing of eScooters. Key parts like motor, controller, battery, lamps, wheel discs, tyres & tubes have been sourced from reputed automotive vendors. The plant is equipped with State-of-the-Art technology with comprehensive full vehicle performance testing with a test track, motorized conveyor assembly line with modern assembly tools.

The BSA eScooters are certified by Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) to be used in public roads in India. Maintenance free batteries and motors make BSA eScooters 100% trouble free. The BSA eScooters have an efficiency of 82-85% in comparison to petrol run vehicles which has an efficiency of 35-38%.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Arun Alagappan, Senior Vice President, BSA Motors, said, “BSA Motors, a Strategic Business Unit was consciously formed to ensure focus and attention to the growing eScooter market in India. The BSA marketing team is constantly tracking leading style and fashion trends among the youth and their way of life. Hence, care has been taken on every aspect of the marketing mix to suit it to the target group. He also added, “Our initial thrust will be in the south Indian market and would be accessible with wide range of dealership network shortly.”

BSA Motors has carried out extensive market research to understand customer preferences in terms of features, colours, graphics and product names. The products have been specifically designed to suit Indian conditions. Every model has gone through extensive tests and validation to suit to the Indian roads and weather.

Each eScooter will have four colour options with the exception of Diva which will have five colour options. The unique features of these eScooter models are its protective safety switch, twin passenger foot rest, ergonomically designed seats, great storage space, side reflectors and many more innovative features that are not currently available in the market. The forte of BSA Motors lies in product design and top notch quality. Out of the five models, three models are in 250 watts, one in 500 watts and one in 800 watts.

Press advertisements of BSA Motors calling for 40 dealerships in South India had an overwhelming response from 400 applicants. Strict criteria were applied for dealer selection and the best 45 applications were selected for the launch phase. BSA Motors initially plans to set up 45 exclusive dealerships before December 2008 in states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Puducherry and Goa. All BSA Motors showrooms in the country will also have service centres with best in class equipment to provide complete service and satisfaction to the BSA customers.

For effective after sales service, BSA Motors plans to set up a centralized customer care call centre. BSA Motors’ customers can shortly call on GSM and Toll free VSNL number or SMS for product queries, test rides and service related issues.

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

About BSA Motors

BSA Motors, a Strategic Business Unit of Tube Investments of India (TII), part of the Rs.9582 crore (USD 2.4billion) Murugappa Group on 12th July 2008 made their venture into the eScooters segment. Mr. M.M. Murugappan, Chairman, TII inaugurated the eScooters factory at Ambattur, which has a production capacity of 150 eScooters a day in the low and high speed categories. These eScooters would be marketed under the aegis of the BSA brand.

About the Murugappa Group

Headquartered in Chennai, the Rs.9582 Crore (USD 2.4 billion) Murugappa Group is India’s leading business conglomerate. Market leaders in diverse areas of business including Engineering, Abrasives, Finance, General Insurance, Cycles, Sugar, Farm Inputs, Fertilizers, Plantations, Bio-products and Nutraceuticals, its 29 limited companies have manufacturing facilities spread across 13 states in India. The organisation fosters an environment of professionalism and has a workforce of over 32,000employees. The Groupwhichhas forged strong joint venture alliances with leading international companies like DBS Bank, Mitsui Sumitomo, Cargill, Foskor,China Engineering & Exploration Bureau and Groupe Chimique Tunisien,has consolidated its status as one of the fastest growing diversified business houses in India.



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Aryan

News Approved.

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MACH50

Is it the same BSA that used to bring us bicycles-BSA SLR,BSA Photon.I knew they also manufactured Hercules bicycles.I possesed a Hercules Highway Patrol MTB during my bicycling days.It is good to see them venture into escoots after Hero cycles.

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Samarth 619

Is it even a NEWS for us? I mean 60 is my normal speed, and these scoots give 45 kmph top end, that's all??

See this ya Lazy Manufacturers & get Ideas on what we need :-->

KillaCycle ? Record Breaking Electric Bike

A 4000 Watts Electric Bike should be better for us bikers, and yes - LET IT BE HEAVY, WE KNOW BATTERIES ARE HEAVY! We can pay around 1Lacs something for such a stuff ...


Sorry for being a critic, but everyone can improve, if they want to ...

jasmeetsinghchawla

You are right but thinking some more i say top speed of 60kmph is enough bike should have a range of more than 200 kms and lesser charging time.
It will still be way too economical.
They should also be priced right.

yamracing

Samarth : Phew man, there u go again. This indeed is news for you. Are you aware that currently around 5-6 manufacturers are selling EScooters in India. And none of these do more than 45km/h on the speedo. The main aim of Escooters isnt speed, but economies of running it. Costing 1/10th as compared to running a bike. And month by month, the market for these is increasing.
Temme, a typical middle class housewife could care about speed or running cost? A typical young collage going girl would care about speed or running cost?

Regarding killacycle : 1 lakh? Ha!! Such machines cost nothing less than tens of lakh my friend!

sai_ace

Dude...seriously.....think practically... E scoots are targeted at kids going to school, housewives who want some convenience, senior citizens who require some more convenience and finally a biker like us who already has a 'performance' bike but who would like to have a small scoot thats just perfect to go get those weekly groceries. I can take my bike and buy more than a kilo of stuff...nor can i take my car to get stuff.... now see how perfect such a vehicle fits in?

and tell me... is your average speed in your city 60 always? i admit its not so in my case especially when i take the bike within a 2 km radius...i am not using the 13 odd extra horsepower my 'fuel injected performance machine' is giving me..so whats the point in having all that power in the wrong kinda situation. Also, BSA is not launching its e-scoot on the mmsc track or with a stunt show...nor is it claimimg advanced aerodynamic stickers and multihued wheels.... nor is it claiming to give two of everything and add a 'twin' prefix in front of everything...

here we have a respecatble manufacturer who can not only give us quality products but also good A.S.S....

so why do you raise an impertinent question here w.r.t to the speed and that 'killa cycle'?

PS: what a turn off of a name- 'killacycle'

Samarth 619

My point is that E-Bikes with bigger batteries can serve as a Substitute for our Pulsars & ZMAs... Think about it: They have so much linear spread torque ...

they take about 6-7 seconds to reach top speeds & can stay at top speed for hours. If it even weighs 170 kgs, will it be "too heavy" for us?? ... I don't think so...

TVS also showed such a machine at Auto Expo ... A USA Production e-scooter actually does 0-80 in 6.8 secs & top speed of 100 kmph ...

Bottom Line: Performance E-Bikes (not scoots) are a Potential Market ... Whether used or not, that's another matter ...

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@ jasmeet: Yes, since they easily reach top speeds & stay, 60 kmph bikes should be a good substitute of 100cc bikes atleast.
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@ yamracing: Firstly, I think this "Economy" can be capitalised upon in Performance machines too ... If running costs are 10%, then why not increase those motor wattage by 10 times - "Pay as much as petrol steeds and get 10x times high performance" ..

Secondly, Dude, read carefully my last post ... I mentioned in my post that a "4000 Watts Motor" E-Bike should be made for we- the Performance Friendly Bikers ... So, 1 Lakh for that ... Obvoiusly, NOT for Killacycle!

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@ sai ace: I can see the target market no doubt. Why not expand this target market, when there is potential? We already have enough 25 kmph e-machines in market. right? So, why not they do something new?

Xenologik

samarth COME ON man

kabhi toh koi company ki tareef kiya kar !

aaand dont forget, batteries DO cost a lot and have limited charge/discharge cycle hence their life isnt much. its not like your bike which would do with a new bore,piston,rings for less than 10k , these scoots have batteries worth half the value.

and plus its much more scary to have a silent thing go whoosh at 60kmph


its better to have these low powered bikes than the faster ones, at least the underaged kids wont go zoom on their activas and dio's

MACH50

Come on yaar this is a news for guys between 14 to 19 years of age whose parents wont allow them even a moped capable of higher speeds-leave alone serious pseeds of superbikes.The kids definitely wud find exploring Indian traffics without expenses a fun.Few parents wud allow their kids to ride a 150cc...................................huh reminds me of the days when I used to steal the keys of my Dad's Shogun..................for a learning to ride,back in class 8 in school.................................

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