Yamaha Neo's Electric Scooter Not Launching In India

Yamaha had initially planned to introduce the Neo's electric scooter in India (though in an Indianised avatar), but now the Japanese bikemaker has scrapped those plans. Instead, it will now focus on developing a more premium and sporty offering in the electric space. 

Last year, Yamaha announced they were planning to launch the Neo’s here after making the necessary adjustments needed to suit Indian conditions. Since then, there have been a sea of changes in regulations and subsidies available in India over the past six months. So, the manufacturer has decided to not continue with those plans.

Speaking to a publication, Yamaha India chairman Eishin Chihana stated that while the Indian EV market is value-oriented, there's still demand for premium, aspirational products (in both the EV and ICE space). With this in consideration, the bikemaker plans to offer something "exciting, stylish and sporty." Chihana also confirmed that with the upcoming e-scooter, the company will not be keen on the sales volumes, but instead, the product will stand for reinforcing the brand's image.

With this in mind, expect the Japanese bikemaker to come up with something along the lines of the Ather 450X or Ola S1 Pro or Simple One electric scooters, possibly with even more performance and a sharper design. 

Scrapping plans for the Neo's makes sense as it was an electric scooter designed keeping European riders' requirements in mind. Shoehorning Indian usage-specific components into an already developed product meant for the global market may not yield consistent results in the real world as compared to developing something from the ground up, keeping Indian riding conditions in mind. 

While the development is reported to have already commenced, the finished product is still at least a few years away, optimistically speaking. Since it's a long way in the future, Yamaha will also not have to rely on FAME 2 subsidies while pricing the product. We'll have to wait and see what exactly Yamaha has up its sleeve.

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