In a conversation during the first ride event of the Ather 450 Apex, Ather’s Tarun Mehta stated that in order for the company to progress in the era post FAME-II, there would be some revision in its product portfolio.
Mehta said, “Right now, it's (FAME-II) there. If it's not there then we'll have to retweak the product portfolio to remain competitive. And we'll have to keep on growing. And still insure, probably, I'm not sure, but certain products and certain price points won't remain feasible, that's for sure.”
Hence, it means that the 450X and 450S will likely see lesser variants on offer. Certain features and fancy tech will have to be dropped and smaller battery options would be preferred to keep costs in check.
Battery tech plays the biggest role in determining the cost of an electric vehicle. Hence, we might just witness a trend of smaller battery options from several EV makers in the forthcoming year.
This is also where the upcoming Ather family scooter will play a big part. In general, a family scooter will have a larger appeal among customers and cheaper variants of the same can drive sales in the future. How the Ather sales shape up in 2024 will be interesting to see but more importantly how the Indian Government plays it’s cards with respect to FAME-II will be crucial.
