After jointly developing, producing and marketing high-end bikes in the traditional ICE segment, India’s leading two- and three-wheeler manufacturer TVS Motor Company and Germany’s superbike-maker BMW Motorrad will come out with what the two companies call “Cool, NextGen and Futuristic” electric vehicles targeted at urban youth globally.

The two companies on Wednesday announced that they are extending the successful association, which began nine years ago, to future technologies that include electric mobility mainly focusing on the urban environment. While the two partners are accelerating their electric vehicle plans through this announcement, their association in the ICE segment will also keep progressing as a new variant of the 310 platform will be launched soon.

“This is the second phase in our successful cooperation which will cover multiple areas, but will really be centred around the future of electric urban mobility,” Sudarshan Venu, Joint Managing Director of TVS Motor Company, said.

New, exclusive products

The focus will be on developing new platforms and technologies on a global scale for urban mobility with a special focus on electric products. Exclusive products for both the companies will be developed on common platforms, and the companies will retail their products globally. The first product through this cooperation will be unveiled in the next two years.

TVS Motor Company will bring in its engineering capabilities in design, manufacturing and supply chain areas and provide best-in-class quality and economic advantage

“TVS will be a very important partner for us in the development of future products. Together we will develop new platforms and technologies for both of us for e-mobility solutions Also, successors of 310 in the ICE segment. But our clear ambition is to strengthen the e-mobility area,” said Markus Schramm, Head of BMW Motorrad.

EV focus

TVS Motor has already indicated that EVs are at the centre of its global ambitions and has planned ₹1,000 crore investment in building its electric portfolio, capacity expansion and market development.

In April 2013, TVS Motor and BMW Motorrad entered into an association to design and manufacture sub-500cc motorcycles for the global markets. Since then, they have launched three products — BMW G 310 R, BMW 310 GS, and TVS Apache RR 310 and have sold more than one lakh units of these products across the EU, USA, Japan, China and India.

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