Yamaha On The Fast Track With Electric

Eishin Chihana, Chairman of Yamaha Motor India group, tells Murali Gopalan that electric scooters are an important part of the company's blueprint for India but the key is to study local conditions carefully. Heisamanina hurry but would rather take one thing at a time.

- Murali Gopalan

It is four months now since Eishin Chihana took over as Chairman of Yamaha Motor India group but he has -already seen enough during this time to understand the potential of this humongous market.

Even while two-wheeler sales across the country have reached record lows of 13-14 million units last fiscal, they are still sizable enough for companies like Yamaha to fight for a share of the pie. Chihana has also been closely observing the electric scooter trends and makes it known that his company is as keen to throw its hat into the ring quickly.

I see the electric two-wheeler segment growing rapidly, especially for scooters which will be faster than anyone can imagine. In the case of motorcycles, this will take a bit more time, he says. Yamaha has a dedicated team for development of electric scooters back at headquarters in Japan.

Eishin Chihana has worked closely in the development of the E01 electric concept and the Neo's both of which could make their way to India in the future.

More recently, the company announced its new generation e-scooter, Neo's, for the European market with plans to release it across ASEAN in phases. Work is now underway to see how we can make a best fit for Indian usage. This will mean checking out production options for Neo's and using existing plant capacity optimally.

Additionally, positioning this model from the marketing and communication point of view is also being studied carefully. “Neo's is the model for Europe and we are examining what is the best way to market it in India, explains Chihana.

All charged up