Tell us about your complete product portfolio for the India. Do you intend to expand soon?
At the moment, we only have cruisers in our portfolio which constitutes the ‘Renegade' series. There are three models in this series - Renegade Commando, Renegade Sport S, and the Renegade Commando Classic. All the engines are powered by a 280-cc engine that churns out 25 PS of power and 23 Nm of torque offering consumers a perfect blend of practicality, performance and versatility. Although the platform is the same, the motorcycles differ starkly in their appearance and performance dynamics. Though all the motorcycles have their individual characteristics, at their core they are heavy duty cruisers, ensuring rider comfort and performance for the long hauls.
We are planning to bring a couple of new variants as well as models in our existing portfolio. 2018 will see UM launch the Black Cat Commando and the Vegas Edition, which are variants of the Commando and the Sports S, while during the last quarter of the year we will launch the Renegade Duty S and the Renegade Duty Ace, which we unveiled at the Auto Expo.

How do you see the electric bike market evolving in India?
Given the environment we live in currently, electric machines are going to be the next big thing. They're good for all the right reasons. If we as a country can set up the infrastructure for charging electric vehicles; make batteries for EVs available at subsidized rates to the manufacturers I don't see why electric won't get popular! The current reservation that most people have about electric vehicles is their range and for the purists it is the power available on tap as well. We have an electric motorcycle in our portfolio - the Renegade Thor which we unveiled at the Auto Expo. The Thor offers a 270 km range on a single charge and comes equipped with a quick charger that give 60 percent of charge in 30 mins. Although we're keen on bringing this product for the Indian consumers, we'll have to wait till the infrastructure can support such performance electric machines.

What is your personal vision for UM India?
We definitely want the brand to grow and have a huge recall value in India. However, our primary goal is to give Indian consumers a product which not only caters to their daily needs, but also is their partner in pursuing wanderlust - a product which is high on quality and performance.  We're already have a presence across 40 cities via 80 dealerships in the country and are keen on growing this foot print furthermore.

END