Why Ather Chose to Go It Alone, Despite Hero’s Backing
The company could have plugged into Hero MotoCorp’s 6,000 dealerships, decades of manufacturing scale, and entrenched vendor relationships, but chose not to.
In an era when every EV startup seems eager to partner, license, or piggyback off legacy giants, Ather Energy is doing the opposite. Despite having Hero MotoCorp — the titan of India’s two-wheeler market — as a major shareholder, Ather has drawn a deliberate line between the investor and the operator: No shared tech, no joint retail, and no shortcuts.
For Tarun Mehta, Ather’s co-founder and CEO, this isn’t a rebellion—it’s strategy, a focused and fiercely independent one. At first glance, it seems counterintuitive. Why wouldn’t a young electric startup tap into Hero’s vast manufacturing muscle, dealer network, and ...
RELATED ARTICLES
Can a Garage Earn More By Showing You the Bill?
Autorox, a Hyderabad-based garage software company, is betting that an itemised bill can earn independent workshops more...
Ashok Leyland Unifies CV Portfolios to Challenge Tata’s Full-Range Crown
Elevated to oversee both MHCV and LCV verticals as Chief Marketing Officer, Sanjeev Kumar is taking the fight to Tata Mo...
The Man Who Steers Nine Out of Ten Cars
How two quiet, fifty-year-old family suppliers, forging fifty million steering yokes a year for nine out of ten cars in ...



23 Apr 2025
Anurag Chaturvedi

Shahkar Abidi
Autocar Professional Bureau