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India’s Hero MotoCorp, one of the world’s largest producers of motorcycles and scooters, plans to start selling e-scooters to the UK and at least two other European countries next year, in its first foray into a developed market.
Hero’s chief executive Niranjan Gupta told the Financial Times that the company, which also makes Harley-Davidson motorcycles in partnership with the US company, may also export bigger vehicles with conventional petrol engines to the UK and other European markets.
The moves come at a time when Indian officials say India and the UK are making progress on a free trade agreement that would cut tariffs on goods, including in the automotive industry.
“The research has shown that in both the UK and Europe customers feel excited to receive this kind of product,” Gupta said in an interview at Hero’s head office in New Delhi. Hero will sell the e-scooters under its Vida electric brand.
Gupta said the UK launch was planned for mid-2025. Hero, which already exports to more than 45 countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, has also announced plans to sell e-scooters in France and Spain.
In 2020, India updated its vehicle emission standards, resulting in its domestically produced vehicles meeting regulations in other markets around the world, including the EU.
“Now we have global markets open to us [India] with exports,” said Hemal Thakkar, director at Crisil, an Indian analytics company owned by S&P Global in Mumbai. “With increasing levies for Chinese imports, there is definitely an opportunity for Indian producers there,” he said.
Hero, controlled by the Munjal family, is the dominant player by far in motorcycles and scooters India. However, in recent years it has lost market share as new groups including Ola Electric entered the market and more Indian consumers bought bigger and higher-priced motorcycles than Hero’s smaller 100cc models.
However, analysts said that to build a profitable business in the UK and Europe, Hero would need to offer more expensive motorcycles, such as its Mavrick model.
“Hero is dominant in 100cc motorcycles, which is relevant from a developing market perspective,” said Jinesh Gandhi, director of research with Ambit Capital in Mumbai.
“But for Europe and the UK you need more premium motorcycle products, and Hero is yet to taste any success in that segment.”
Gupta said Hero “could look at options” for exporting its bigger motorcycles with conventional engines to the UK and other developed countries.
He said that exporting Harley-Davidsons to the UK would depend on an arrangement with the Milwaukee-based company as their current agreement limits sales to India.
“I wouldn’t venture into speculating,” Gupta said. However, he said the company was evaluating exports of the bigger Mavrick motorcycles — built on the same engine platform as its made in India Harleys — to developed markets like the UK.