America-based UM Motorcycles landed in India at Auto Expo 2014 and now through a tie-up with Lohia Auto, are on the cusp on launching their Renegade series of cruisers in the country. The company already has a global network that spans 25 countries and over 1,200 stores. Now in order to strengthen its standing in Europe, UM has just made their debut on the Old Continent at the Intermot show in Cologne, Germany.
UM has brought a total of 11 motorcycles to the show, which include cruisers, sport bikes, dual-purpose bikes, motards, adventure bikes and even scramblers. The company believes that their DSR, Renegade and Xstreet series of motorcycles have what it takes to win over newer riders in Europe. And considering that their bikes span cubic capacities from 125cc to almost 300cc, these bikes could be well suited for A2 license holders and also for those looking for smaller, light bikes as well as affordable means of transport for doing the urban grind.
Speaking on the occasion, Juan Villegas, global director-business development at UM International stated, “Our philosophy is to offer our clients an opportunity to ride an exciting, modern, unique motorcycle line-up at a price that will be easy on the pocket.We strive to design good quality recreational and transportation products, with the intention of bringing aspirational models to the daily life of smart users that do not want to overspend, but that at the same time, don't want to sacrifice a good riding experience on a unique bike.”
With three importers already established in the UK, Portugal and Spain, the whole exercise of showing off the breadth of their portfolio at Intermot 2016 is aimed at attracting new importers to cover other European countries. It remains to be seen whether UM’s tie-up with Lohia to produce bikes in India will serve as a base for exporting their motorcycles to Europe and other parts of the world. But we should get a clear picture on that going forward.