Hero MotoCorp opens first Vida showroom in Bengaluru

Five weeks after Hero MotoCorp launched its first electric scooter – the Vida V1 – the company today opened its first dedicated EV showroom in Bengaluru, located at the prominent Vittal Mallya Road. Vida has also commenced customer test-rides of the Vida V1 from today.

Spread over 8,500 square feet, this Vida Experience Center will display Vida V1 scooters, charging stations, an interactive wall that illustrates the brand vision, and product configurators to help customers visualise their Vida V1. The facility also has an in-house coffee bar and library. According to Hero MotoCorp, “the Experience Center will not just function as a brand and product zone but it will be the heart of VIDA communities, hosting events, brand meets and cohort activities.”

Priced at Rs 145,000 and Rs 159,000 for the Vida 1 Plus and Pro variants respectively, the variants differ in terms of range as well as performance. The Vida uses a high-voltage lithium-ion-based battery with nickel manganese cobalt chemistry. The Vida V1 Plus, with its 3.44kWh battery, delivers a claimed range of 143km, while the V1 Pro, equipped with a larger 3.94kWh battery, has a claimed range of 165km. Both have the same motor which develops 6kW peak power and propels the V1 e-scooter to a claimed top speed of 80kph. The V1 Pro accelerates from zero to 40kph in 3.2sec, a tad faster than the V1 Plus’s 3.4 seconds.

Designed and developed at Hero’s R&D hubs – CIT in Jaipur and the Hero Tech Centre, near Munich – Vida V1 is being manufactured at Hero MotoCorp’s plant at Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh.

In an effort to make EV ownership easier, Hero MotoCorp announced some customer-friendly initiatives. This includes ‘Green EMI’, a financing platform which offers a paperless programme of ownership and also “best-in-class interest rates at 1.5-2% lesser than the prevailing financial options in the market.”

The company has also introduced a buyback scheme with a first-in-industry assurance of vehicle buyback at 70% of purchase value between 16 to 18 months of vehicle ownership.

Dr Swadesh Srivastava, Head – Emerging Mobility Business Unit (EMBU), Hero MotoCorp: “Expanding our vision to shape the EV category and grow its scale, we are excited to open the first VIDA Experience Center. This Experience Center is a manifestation of our vision to build experiences that create curiosity, meaningfulness and that people connect with. The Experience Center will provide the community an insight to the ‘Worry-free EV ecosystem’ that we have created with VIDA. This center is one of the many physical assets of our omnichannel approach. Our tech-stack and physical assets are built to uplift the customer experience from just entering into a space of retail to a space where they can be part of a larger story. It's a one-of-its-kind experience that we are providing in the segment.”