Lohia Auto plans to launch hybrid scooters by 2012

Electric two-wheeler maker Lohia Auto Industries today said it plans to launch hybrid scooters in the country by 2012, for which it is in talks with a Taiwan-based firm to source engine components.

"The market for hybrid scooters is very small, but it will eventually grow. We have started working on hybrid scooters and it will take 2-3 years for the product to get ready," Lohia Auto Industries Chief Executive Officer Ayush Lohia told PTI.

The project is currently at research and development (R&D) stage, he said.

"In order to offer a good product, we are carrying out extensive research. We are also talking to a Taiwanese firm to source engine parts for hybrid scooters," he said, declining to name the firm nor shared investments on the project.

The prices of the scooters would be more compared with the company's existing electric two-wheelers, he added.

Lohia Auto Industries today launched a new electric scooter -- Oma Star, priced at Rs 30,587 (ex-showroom, Delhi).

Last month, the company announced plans to increase its sales by nearly eight fold to 90,000 units in the domestic market in the next five years. It would launch a high-speed electric scooter during the Auto Expo in January next year.

Lohia Auto would also increase its dealerships to 50 by the end of this fiscal from 10 at present and eventually have a network of 200 outlets in the next five years.

Earlier, the company had said it would enter the US market as part of its global expansion plans that would also see it exporting to SAARC countries and Europe.