BMW is eager to work with TVS Motor to co-develop luxury e-bikes for international markets

A senior representative of BMW Motorrad has now told Moneycontrol.com that the company is considering creating high-performance electric bikes with the Indian two-wheeler manufacturer for international markets, more than six months after TVS Motor Company Joint Managing Director M. Sudarshan Venu announced on that it will be extending its partnership with BMW Motorrad to co-develop "new platforms and future technologies," primarily electric vehicles. The German motorcycle brand will utilise the Indian two-wheeler manufacturer's skills in low-cost production and supply chain capabilities, just as the current relationship on petrol-powered bikes, while the Indian two-wheeler maker will draw on its engineering and design resources.

In an exclusive interview with Moneycontrol, Stephan Reiff, Vice President of Customer, Brand, and Sales at BMW Motorrad, stated that "Electric 2 Wheelers will represent a fair share of our (global) volumes in the future. Our electric scooter has just been released in Europe, and the demand has been far larger than we had anticipated. Upon realising the benefits of economies of scale (in e-scooters), Europe will actively move toward larger e-motorbikes. We are open to the concept of working with TVS to build a lesser powered e-bike even though we have the capacity for high-powered bikes if there is a viable business case in terms of battery costs, etc.

Considering that BMW Motorrad already released the CE 04 electric scooter for the US and European markets, it may come as no surprise that the company is now aiming to establish a sizable presence in the electrically propelled bike market in countries like India and China.

Last year, Sudarshan Venu, Joint Managing Director of TVS Motor Company, stated: "The alternative options, such as electric mobility, have a significant role to play in the new world of future mobility. Extending this productive relationship to electric vehicles (EVs) and other more recent platforms would present chances to introduce cutting-edge technology and aspirational products to international markets and bring significant benefits to both businesses."

BMW Motorrad India has upgraded its lineup with the introduction of the new G 310 RR, which is simply an Apache RR 310 with a new paint job. The brand-new BMW G 310 RR is the fourth product to be created as a result of the partnership between TVS Motor Company and BMW Motorrad; the previous three, the TVS Apache RR 310, BMW G 310 R, and G 310 GS, are currently on the market.