Raptee, a prominent electric motorcycle manufacturer, has successfully raised $3 million in a pre-series A funding round led by deep-tech VC fund Bluehill Capital. 

The round witnessed participation from industry luminaries, including Eugene Mayne, Founder and CEO of Tristar Global (UAE), Lakshmi Narayanan, Former CEO of Cognizant, and Ramesh Kannan, Managing Director of Kaynes Technology, among others from India and the UAE.

The newly acquired funds will be used for the manufacturing facility, acquiring essential machinery and tooling for the company’s upcoming motorcycle launch and expanding the team’s capabilities.

Raptee is a comprehensive electric motorcycle manufacturer with a robust indigenous technological foundation. The company has filed for over 45 patents to date. 

Dinesh Arjun, Co-founder CEO, Raptee, said, “India is the largest motorcycle market in the world, with EV adoption on the rise. At Raptee, we want to launch a motorcycle in a mid-premium segment for consumers who believe that EVs are a true upgrade from ICE vehicles. We are extremely fortunate to be backed by investors from the manufacturing and transportation industries who understand long-term value creation and can add strategic value for us as we gear up for production and scale-up. This being our first institutional round, we’re also proud to be backed by a DeepTech VC, Bluehill Capital. We’ve been refining and testing our vehicles, and the results are very promising. We are looking forward to launching it very soon.”

Manu Iyer, CEO & Partner, Bluehill Capital, said, “We strongly share the vision of the Raptee team to build world-class core EV technology right here in Chennai, India in a focused and cost-effective manner. Dinesh and his co-founders have diligently built the vehicle platform indigenously with intellectual property on various aspects of the vehicle sub-system. Having evaluated over 30 EV OEMs in India and having invested deeply in the EV and clean-tech ecosystem in India, we are impressed by Raptee’s cutting-edge tech and are excited to partner with them on their journey. We believe Raptee’s motorcycles will change the face of EV 2-wheelers in India,”

Raptee is the first Indian two-wheeler EV OEM to introduce high-voltage drive train technology, complemented by an onboard charger. This advancement renders it compatible with the rapidly growing CCS2 public charging network, which currently boasts over 9000 installed chargers in India, a figure comparable to the number of fuel pumps.

The high-voltage technology integrated into Raptee motorcycles ensures a much safer battery pack and extends battery life, effectively addressing range anxiety.

Earlier this year, Raptee was the sole OEM to receive a grant from ARAI (Automotive Research Association of India), the authoritative certifying body for automobiles in India, towards designing and developing high-voltage powertrain technology. The company anticipates the debut of its first motorcycle in early 2024, with experience centres in Chennai and Bangalore, followed by expansion into eight additional cities by the end of the inaugural year.

Raptee has already commenced R&D efforts for its following line of products and is preparing to augment the team size to 150 by its business strategy. The commendable progress made by Raptee has garnered recognition from the Tamil Nadu Government, resulting in the allocation of a 36-acre property for the company, along with other incentives to support manufacturing expansion.

Raptee has steadily expanded its team to over 50 members in the past year. The company’s swift advancement and visionary approach have led to the onboarding of esteemed suppliers for motorcycle components and seasoned industry leaders, promising quality delivery and streamlined turnaround times as production scales up.

Raptee has established its inaugural factory in Chennai, spanning three acres, which will serve as the primary hub for most of Raptee’s Research and Development team. With an annual capacity of 100,000 units, the facility will house on-site development and testing facilities and a dedicated battery pack assembly line. The projected investment for this factory is approximately INR 800 million crore.

Raptee’s EV motorcycle is slated for launch early next year, with plans to expand to 100 cities in India and explore select international markets conducive to their growth over the next three years.

Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India has launched the 2025 CB350, CB350 H’ness and CB350RS with new colour options starting at INR 210,500.

Mechanically unchanged, the CB350 series uses the 348.36 cc, air-cooled, single-cylinder BSVI OBD2B complaint PGM-FI engine. Fully compliant with E20 fuel, the engine produces 15.5 kW power at 5,500 RPM and 30 Nm of peak torque at 3,000 RPM in CB350 H’ness & CB350RS. For CB350 the torque output is 29.5 Nm at 3,000 RPM. Transmission duties are handled by a five-speed gearbox.

The new CB350 range is available at all Honda BigWing dealerships across India.

TVS Motor Company, a leading manufacturer of two-wheelers and three-wheelers, has attained two new milestones for the TVS Apache motorcycle brand.

First introduced in 2005, the sporty TVS Apache motorcycle marked the company’s entry in the premium segment. It was targeted towards young customers and took inspiration from TVS Racing heritage. The company has announced that in addition to celebrating the 20th anniversary milestone for the Apache motorcycle, the brand has also crossed the 6 million sales milestone.

The TVS Apache is currently sold in more than 60 countries, including LATAM, Africa and Europe. Furthermore, TVS Apache is said to be the first two-wheeler brand in the country that offers factory customisation build-to-order (BTO) option.

Sudarshan Venu, Managing Director, TVS Motor Company, said, "We are immensely grateful to the over 6 million passionate riders of TVS Apache for their unwavering trust and enthusiasm over the last 20 years. Their love for performance and adrenaline has propelled TVS Apache to become one of the fastest-growing sports motorcycle brands globally. This milestone belongs to every member of the TVSM family – our engineers, designers, factory teams, dealers, suppliers and partners – who push the limits of innovation every day. TVS Apache’s enduring success emanates from cutting-edge racing technology, precision engineering, and unmatched performance. It is a testament to our relentless commitment to empowering the new generation of young riders who live and breathe the thrill of motorcycling.”

Vimal Sumbly, Head – Premium Business, TVS Motor Company, said, “TVS Apache has been at the forefront of premium motorcycling, embodying our strategic vision of building a brand rooted in racing excellence and innovation. Over the past 20 years, Apache has redefined performance motorcycling and has created a thriving ecosystem through the Apache Owners Group, uniting passionate riders globally. Crossing the 6 million customer milestone is a testament to the brand’s relentless pursuit of excellence, pioneering segment-first innovations, and delivering unparalleled consumer experiences. As we move forward, we remain committed to pushing the boundaries of performance, technology, and community engagement to shape the future of premium motorcycling. Apache is more than a motorcycle – it’s a movement, a legacy and a community of racing enthusiasts.”

Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI), a leading manufacturer of scooters and motorcycles in the country, has announced its wholesales numbers for March 2025 and FY2025.

The company sold a total of 427,448 two-wheelers last month, which includes 401,411 units in the domestic market and 26,037 units exported.

For FY2025, the company shared it recorded 19 percent YoY growth with sales of 5.83 million two-wheelers, which includes 5.32 million units in the domestic market and 505,012 units exported.

During the fiscal, the company expanded its alternative energy portfolio with the introduction of the Activa e: & QC1 in the electric scooter segment and the introduction of the CB300F flex-fuel motorcycle, which is the country’s first 300cc flex-fuel motorcycle.

To support its e-scooter, the company also joined hands with Honda Power Pack Energy India for its battery swapping network.

Hero MotoCorp, the world’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer, has announced its wholesales for March 2025 and FY2025.

The company sold a total of 549,604 two-wheelers last month, which was 12 percent higher as compared to 490,415 units last year. This includes 510,086 two-wheelers in the domestic market and 39,518 units exported, which was higher 11 percent YoY and 26 percent YoY, respectively.

For FY2025, the company clocked 5.89 million two-wheelers, which was 5 percent higher YoY. On one hand, while the company increased sales of motorcycles by 5.51 percent YoY, scooter sales declined by 2 percent YoY.

In the domestic market, the company sold 5.6 million two-wheelers, up 3.53 percent, as against 5.42 million units last year. Exports grew by 43 percent at 287,429 units, as against 200,923 units shipped last year.

registered sales of 5,899,187 units (5.9 million) in FY’25 (April 2024 to March 2025).

During the year, the company’s electric vehicle portfolio grew by 200 percent, albeit from a low base.  

Recently, Hero MotoCorp also marked its entry in the electric three-wheeler space with the acquisition of a substantial stake in Delhi-NCR-based Euler Motors.