Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Perhaps it drew its popular name Luna from Lunokhod, a series of then-Soviet robotic lunar rovers designed to land on the Moon between 1969 and 1977. But once the Luna moped (motorized peddler) hit contemporary India’s Moon-like rickety roads in many cities and towns, it became the most popular means of personal mobility for one or two persons, relatively faster than a bicycle offered.
After the 1980s, however, Luna gradually disappeared as many rivals flooded the Indian markets with better features, but its brand-recall value remained among millions of people across India.
Now, with several companies flooding the Indian roads with electric two-wheelers, Luna’s makers, Kinetic Group, are all set to relaunch the iconic vehicle in a new, electrical avatar, or E-Luna.
The company will soon launch the electric version of its once-popular moped Luna, according to a regulatory filing by Kinetic Engineering, the media reported.
Kinetic Engineering’s sister company, Kinetic Green Energy and Power Solutions will launch E-Luna shortly, the firm said on Monday.
Kinetic Engineering Ltd (KEL) has commenced production of chassis and other assemblies for Luna’s electric avatar.
The company developed all the major subassemblies for E-Luna, including the main chassis, main stand, side stand, and swing arm, and set up a dedicated production line with an initial capacity of 5,000 sets per month.
“We expect this business to add over Rs 30 crore annually over the next 2-3 years as the volumes of the E-Luna increase. This will also help KEL to boost its presence in the EV segment,” KEL Managing Director Ajinkya Firodia said.
At its peak, the Luna moped sold over 2,000 units per day, commanding a 95 percent share in its category, he said.
KEL is emerging as a one-stop shop for all the major mechanical subassemblies for electric two and three-wheelers, which have witnessed explosive growth over the past 12 months, he added.
Some 50 years ago, when KEL launched it, Luna was priced at Rs 2,000 “which made it the most efficient, affordable, convenient transportation solution to India.”
KEL said all the assemblies would be finished and painted in its factory at Ahmednagar, Maharashtra.