– Test rides begin in Ahmedabad & Pune
– Deliveries of Ather 450X to begin next month
Bengaluru, 16th October 2020: Further to confirming deliveries of the Ather 450X and opening full payments for pre-orders, Ather Energy, one of India’s first smart electric two-wheeler companies has confirmed its dealer partners for the western region of India. The superior retail experience that Ather Energy has built through company-owned experience centers will now be delivered through dealer partners. This required collaboration with progressive dealers with experience of premium products and deep understanding of consumers in their respective market. To that end, they have collaborated with Kataria Group in Ahmedabad, Kamal Motors in Mumbai and BU Bhandari in Pune. Ather Space, as Ather Energy refers to its experience centers, will open across the country in the coming months.
The next 8 cities will see the Ather 450X test rides in the coming weeks, with deliveries beginning in November. Test rides will be hosted at convenient locations across the cities, prior to the official experience outlets opening later in the year.
Ather Energy will design the retail space and experience for its dealer partners, with a focus on its holistic experience-led model. Ather Space will allow prospective consumers to test ride and get hands-on with Ather’s intelligent & connected product portfolio. The company currently operates Ather Space in Bengaluru (Indiranagar) & Chennai (Wallace Garden Street).
In the Pune market, BU Bhandari will be partnering to set up Ather Space. They have been associated with the automotive industry for the last 50 years, winning many accolades towards customer and industry first initiatives. BU Bhandari has partnered with Volkswagen & Triumph among others, Whereas, Kamal Motors who will be operating the Ather Space in Mumbai has been No.1 dealership for Tata Motors in Commercial vehicle for Fiscal Year 2019-2020 and have reached this height with 18 years of being appointed as CV dealers. Kataria group, who will be the Ahmedabad partner, is one of the largest dealerships in the country representing prestigious OEMs such as Maruti Suzuki, Porsche, Bharat Benz, Honda & TVS two-wheelers. In the last 25 years the group has built a copious base of over a million customers serving them through around 100 touch points across Gujarat.
The Ather Grid – fast charging infrastructure is being set up in all of the cities. Each city is likely to get about 10-15 Ather Grid points before delivery. Some of the confirmed location for Pune are Kalyan Bhel, Little Italy, Kalinga Restaurant, Copacabana, Bliss Bakery Cafe, Hotel KBs Woodland, Eat & Repeat Cafe and for Mumbai – Little Italy restaurants and Ahmedabad’s locations include Sangeetha Mobiles, Little Italy and Royal Archid.
Quote by Ravneet Phokela, Chief Business Officer Ather Energy
“Intelligent electric vehicles are a new category and we have spent the last couple of years pioneering a new model in Chennai and Bengaluru, which is focused on experience. We were looking for partners who share Ather’s passion for delivering superior customer experience.. When we announced the dealership format, we received a phenomenal response from strong, industry-leading dealer partners, and we are pleased to partner. We are very pleased to partner with Kamal Motors, B U Bhandari and the Kataria Group and they have been extremely supportive and have been offering us their expertise to expedite the opening of their respective markets. We hope to recreate the magic we were able to in Bengaluru and Chennai. We will soon share the location of the experience centers in each of the cities”
About Ather Energy
Ather Energy, one of India’s first intelligent electric vehicle manufacturers was founded in 2013 by IIT Madras alumni, Tarun Mehta, and Swapnil Jain. It is backed by the founders of Flipkart -Sachin Bansal & Binny Bansal- Hero Motocorp and Tiger Global. Ather Energy launched India’s first truly intelligent, electric scooter – Ather 450 in 2018, followed by their new flagship offering Ather 450X in 2020. Ather has also installed a comprehensive public charging network, Ather Grid, designed and built in India. With 38 charging points in Bengaluru and 14 charging points in Chennai, Ather Grid is one of the largest fast-charging networks for electric vehicles in the country. The company’s product line has won 30 awards in design, automotive and technology categories. With over 51 patent applications, 113 trademarks and 123 design registrations to its name, Ather Energy aims to provide consumers with the best possible ownership experience. Ather Energy currently operates in Bengaluru and Chennai and in 2020 will expand to 8 more cities including Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Pune & Hyderabad.
