TVS-BMW Partnership Extended And Expanded–Hybrid And Electric Bikes Incoming?

The first product will break cover in the next 2 years

• TVS and BMW Motorrad established the partnership in 2013.
• This gave the two companies new bikes in the 300cc segment, like the BMW G 310 twins and the Apache RR 310.
• Expect the first of TVS-BMW’s upcoming offering to be an electric bike, perhaps the equivalent of a 200cc petrol-powered motorcycle.

TVS and BMW Motorrad first made their long-term partnership agreement back in 2013. This gave the two companies access to the fast-growing 300cc space, and the companies came up with the BMW G 310 R, BMW G 310 GS, and the TVS Apache RR 310. Taking the partnership further, the two companies have now announced an extension, and expansion “with the joint development of new platforms and future technologies, including Electric Vehicles.”

TVS has revealed that it will make use of “emerging technologies in the future mobility space” and develop common platforms, using which the companies will retail their upcoming products in the global space. This points to one major possibility: the Electric Vehicle (EV) segment. TVS already has big plans of launching multiple electric vehicles. In fact, in July, it was reported that the company will launch “half a dozen electric vehicles across segments in the next 24 months.” In the recent partnership announcement, the companies have revealed that the first jointly-developed product will be unveiled in the next 24 months.

Sudarshan Venu, Joint Managing Director, TVS Motor Company, said, "In the nine years of our long-term strategic partnership, we have always cherished the common core values we share with BMW Motorrad: focus on quality, engineering prowess, innovation and customer satisfaction.  These factors and our commitment to deliver superior quality products with a strong value proposition has been key to the success of all three products launched from the platform.  The new world of future mobility encompasses a strong play through alternate solutions, including electric mobility.  Expanding this successful partnership to EVs and other newer platforms will create opportunities to deliver advanced technology and aspirational products to global markets and bring valuable synergies to both companies.”

TVS already has the iQube Electric, so the next natural step seems to be the launch of the TVS Creon. The manufacturer could then follow it up with a more premium offering, perhaps an electric bike jointly developed with BMW Motorrad, offering performance equivalent to a 200cc petrol-powered motorcycle. This could be the two bikemaker’s first jointly-developed EV that we can see within the next two years. TVS could make use of BMW Motorrad’s technological prowess whereas the German marque will greatly benefit from TVS’ manufacturing and supply chain expertise, and offer product(s) at a fairly affordable price point.

Another possibility could be the development of flex fuel or hybrid vehicles. In the hybrid space, TVS already experimented with the Zeppelin Concept, so we wouldn’t be surprised if TVS and BMW came up with a more sophisticated product with hybrid technology in the future. TVS had also dabbled in the ethanol-powered vehicle segment with the launch of the TVS Apache RTR 200 Fi E100 back in 2019. So, TVS-BMW could tap into these technologies that play a big role in reducing the dependency on fossil fuels. 

All said and done, the electric vehicle segment is much more promising in the short term, and is fast growing in light of the growing pollution levels and rising fuel costs. It would make perfect sense for TVS to tap into the EV space first. We’ll get to know more details in the coming months, so stay tuned.

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