Ather Energy is targeting to more than double its retail footprint to between 1,800 and 2,000 stores over the next 24 months as the electric two-wheeler maker rolls out its new family scooter Konark and expands production capacity, according to a senior company official.
Ather currently sells the 450X and Rizta electric scooters, which are positioned in the premium and mass premium segments of the market. The company plans to use its new EL platform and the first product on it - Konarc - to broaden its product range and address a gap in the more affordable segment.
The company's current sells across some 750 stores. The newly unveiled Konarc will be available two varaints and six battery options at a starting ex-showroom price of Rs 99,999. The delivery of this model is set to commence in September. "We are targeting 1,800 to 2,000 stores in the next 24 months," Ather Energy's Chief Business Officer Ravneet Phokela said.
The retail expansion will come as Ather prepares to scale up sales of scooters based on its new EL platform, which is designed to support a wider range of products.
The platform, on which the Konark is based, can produce different types of scooters, ranging from commuter and family models to high-performance products. It can also support different battery sizes, wheel dimensions and dashboard designs.
Phokela said the company expects the domestic market to remain its main focus in the medium term, while exports are likely to become a larger contributor to its business only after several years. Ather's push into a wider range of scooters comes as the company looks to increase production capacity to meet rising demand.
Ather currently manufactures electric scooters at its Hosur plant, which has an annual production capacity of 420,000 units. Its upcoming Aurangabad facility is expected to add another 500,000 units of annual capacity when its first phase becomes operational later this year.
The company has also said it is considering whether to accelerate the second phase of the Aurangabad facility if demand continues to grow at its current pace.
The EL platform is central to Ather's plans to expand beyond its existing scooter range. The company expects the platform to allow it to develop products for different parts of the market without requiring a separate platform for each scooter.
The company boasts that EL platform helps close that gap in its addressable market while also reducing costs through changes in design and engineering. These include lower use of aluminium and simpler engineering, which are expected to support improvements in the cost of producing the scooters.
Ather has said it plans to focus on bringing multiple scooter products based on the platform to market before entering the electric motorcycle segment. The company has no near-term plans for an electric motorcycle and expects such a product to be more than two years away.