Yamaha Motor fuels River's ambitious electric SUV two-wheeler rollout in India
Summary
Indie, which River describes as the SUV of scooters, has a 14-inch wheelbase and storage space large enough to hold two helmets and cargo weighing up to 33 pounds. We will also do more company-owned stores, depending on strategic locations.Mani co-founded River with Vipin George (chief product officer), previously working as a group head designer at Honda in India. The first such investment came last year from Dubais Al-Futtaim Group, which is not just a large Middle Eastern conglomerate but also an exclusive Toyota distributor in the UAE that represents about 29 brands in around 14 countries.The relationship could give River access to a global distribution network once it builds its presence in India. So, at this time, its a pure-play financial investment with the potential to collaborate more, the co-founder noted.That said, River, which has 450 employees, of which 250 are in R&D, seeks to use the partnership with Yamaha Motor to leverage its design and technology capability. Yamaha appears to have been sold on the companys R&D efforts.We are impressed by the progress that River has achieved in such a short span of time, especially with the strong focus on design and technology.