Raptee rolls out first motorcycle from Chennai, plans for next production facility in progress | Autocar Professional

Raptee Energy, the Chennai-based EV startup, has rolled out its first-ever production-ready motorcycle from its manufacturing plant and will be launched in June this year. 

“What we wanted to do from day one is put the customer first, and ensure that whatever we do, we take to the customer only when we know we can deliver the product,” Raptee’s Co-founder and CEO Dinesh Arjun told Autocar Professional.

“We are doing the opposite of what EV-age OEMs are doing. We are taking a conservative approach to making sure we have a product ready before we even launch the vehicle,” Arjun added.

In the first year of production, Raptee plans to sell 10,200 bikes which will compete in the 200-250 cc. “We are looking at volumes [not very high], but not operating in a very niche segment as well], Arjun noted.  

Distribution strategy

Explaining the distribution strategy, he added that though they want to be Direct to Customer (DTC), dealerships and physical experience centres are very important in building a brand preference, explaining that brands were an important factor in automobiles.

Upon launch, they will be open in Chennai in Bengaluru and are looking at 6 outlets in the first year, which will be company owned and operated. Other outlets will also be in Tier 1 cities around India. The company will also be available online in other select cities. 

From the second year onwards, they will begin with dealership networks and scale up rapidly. 

Currently, the company can produce 1,80,000 units, but they plan to add the next facility after they reach the 4000 unit per month mark, Arjun noted.  

Jayapradeep (JP) Vasudevan, Raptee’s CBO, highlighted the company’s strategic approach to marketing and distribution: “We are well-prepared to establish a strong distribution network for our motorcycles, starting from Chennai and expanding to other cities in India. Our pan-India strategy will ensure widespread availability and accessibility for customers across the country. The hybrid approach with online and offline channels has been designed to provide a delightful consumer experience throughout their journey with the brand.”

For the next facility, they have got 40 acres of land from govt of TN so expansion is also in progress, he noted.