Hero MotoCorp announced on Friday that it would move EV and Emerging Mobility Business Unit (EMBU) into a fully independent unit from February 1. The EMBU was created by the automaker in 2019 to drive innovations in emerging mobility, including electric vehicles.
Hero MotorCorp’s plan for EVs
The EV & Emerging Mobility Business Unit will transition to a fully independent and empowered unit, “leading the EV revolution and next-generation mobility under the mentorship of the executive chairman Pawan Munjal,” the company said in an exchange filing on Friday.
“As part of this strategic shift, the product development teams across EMBU, Hero Tech Centre Germany (TCG) and Hero Centre for Innovation and Technology (CIT) will work in synergy to set new industry benchmarks.”
The change in strategy comes as Hero MotoCorp chief executive officer Niranjan Gupta and chief business officer of India Business Unit, Ranjivjit Singh, are stepping down from the company on April 30. Swadesh Srivastava is currently the chief business officer for EMBU.
Hero MotoCorp is India’s largest two-wheeler maker and is intensifying its efforts to increase its EV market share, which is in mid-single digits. The company started selling electric scooters under the Vida brand in 2023 and has been gradually expanding its footprint across the country. Last year, Vida was present in over 116 cities, with over 180 dealers and 203 touchpoints.
The company currently has two models under the Vida brand – Vida V1 and Vida Z. Recently, it announced plans to expand operations to the United Kingdom and Europe with the Vida brand in the second half of the year. Vida Z will be the first model that Hero MotoCorp will sell in these markets.
The automaker sees significant potential in global business and electric mobility. Last year, Munjal said that the company is looking at global business and EVs as strong revenue drivers in the long term.
Our sister publication, Autocar Professional, exclusively reported that Hero MotoCorp is set to accelerate its mainstream zero-emission market play with plans for a dozen new models – ranging from entry-level two-wheelers to dirt bikes to high-performance e-bikes – in the next 2-3 years.
An electric version of the popular Splendor motorcycle is one of the company’s most significant projects. The product has been under development at its technology centre, CIT, in Jaipur for almost two years and is scheduled for launch in 2027.
Hero MotoCorp has a partnership with US-based electric motorcycle maker Zero Motors and is working to roll out two e-bikes equivalent to 500-600 cc models under this partnership in 2026-27. It is also working with Ather Energy, in which it holds around a 44% stake, to improve the electric vehicle ecosystem in the country. Besides increasing focus on EVs, the automaker is developing hybrid, flex fuel and ethanol-based fuel technologies.
Hormazd Sorabjee
Anurag Chaturvedi
