American small-capacity bike maker UM Global to debut at Auto Expo 2014

January 17, 2014: Miami-based motorcycle manufacturer, UM Global is another company which will mark its official entry in the Indian motorcycle market at Auto Expo 2014 through its Indian subsidiary, UM Motorcycles.

A source close to the development told Autocar Professional that the Auto Expo will be a platform to officially launch the American brand in India for the first time as nearly the entire portfolio of sports bikes, cruisers, dual-purpose bikes and scooters ranging from 100cc to 250cc will be on display at the event.

However, the company, which is still in its early stages of planning and executing operations locally, will not launch any two-wheeler there. The vehicles are currently being planned to be launched at some time later during the year.

Um Motorcycles, which is working to set up its corporate office in Delhi, seems to be serious about the Indian market as, according to an industry source, it plans to set up not only a manufacturing / assembly plant but also an R&D centre as well going forward. We expect crucial announcements covering the roadmap for the brand in India at the expo next month.

UM (United Motors) is a US-based motorcycle brand which makes affordable bikes and scooters and distributes them in over 20 different countries ranging from Latin America, Africa and Asia.

The company is known to globally sell commuters such as Razor (single-cylinder, 149.5cc), Falcon (single-cylinder, 124cc & 150cc), and other models in the sport bike category; Renegade Commando (single-cylinder, 223cc), Renegade Sport (single-cylinder, 137.8cc/180.4cc/196.4cc variants) and others under the cruiser vertical and Matrix (single-cylinder, 150cc), Powermax and GP1 using the single-cylinder, 124.6cc and 149.6cc engine options under the scooter category.

UM is also known for bringing innovative features to its affordable range of two-wheelers such as the patented CASH (communication awareness system helmet wherein the connected helmet communicates wirelessly with the UM motorcycle via Bluetooth technology), KAS (keyless alarm system wherein the system recognizes the presence of the UM motorbike owner within 1.2 metres of the bike and the bike then can be started without using the key), BSM (blind spot mirror system wherein the rearview mirrors have a built-in section on the outer corner with a blind spot mirror, allowing the rider to see the following vehicles in the blind spot area) and many other value-added offerings on the two-wheelers.

Photograph: Renegade Commando.