The first vehicle to fall under the new brand will be Hero MotoCorp’s upcoming maiden electric scooter.
Hero MotoCorp is currently embroiled in a battle with sister company Hero Electric over who gets to use the Hero nametag in the domain of electric two-wheelers. Until the two companies manage to come to an agreement, Hero MotoCorp will have to brand its EVs under another name, and that’s why it has just officially launched the Vida brand.
The company trademarked this nametag just a few months ago, and has today formally announced the Vida brand, stating that it will be the umbrella under which Hero MotoCorp’s initiatives for emerging mobility solutions will be introduced. Essentially, it is the brand under which Hero MotoCorp will launch its electric two-wheelers.
The first of these will be Hero’s upcoming maiden electric scooter, which will be officially unveiled on July 1 to coincide with the birth anniversary of Dr. Brijmohan Lall, the founder of the company. While this is a nice sentimental gesture, it signifies a delay from the company’s earlier unveiling timeline of March.
Additionally, Dr. Pawan Munjal, chairman and CEO, Hero MotoCorp, also announced a $100mn Global Sustainability Fund. Hero says the aim of this fund is to “establish global partnerships” and “nurture more than 10,000 entrepreneurs” on environmental sustainability solutions. While the wording is rather vague, it does appear that Hero is seeking to invest in other smaller EV projects, as it has already done with Bengaluru-based start-up Ather Energy. Perhaps Hero is also looking to strike a deal to export its electric two-wheelers to other developing markets.
Do you think not being able to carry the Hero name will hurt Hero MotoCorp’s electric two-wheelers? Tell us in the comments below.