Interview: What propelled Ultraviolette to take a top-down product strategy, reveals CEO

Hindustan Times

18-05-2025

Interestingly, while most of the auto companies, including both startups and legacy players, start their journey with affordable products first and bring premium ones at a later stage, Ultraviolette took a different approach. It went for a top-down product strategy as compared to the conventional growth plan. Besides that, Ultraviolette has been investing considerably longer time in research and development, which is resulting in a longer time to bring a final product to the market, but better validated two-wheelers, as compared to many other key players in this domain.
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HT Auto had an interaction with Narayan Subramaniam, CEO and co-founder of Ultaviolette Automotive, to learn about the company's product strategy and more.
Here are the excerpts. HT Auto: What motivated Ultraviolette to adopt a top-down strategy rather than a more conventional growth model that others have been taking for so long?
Narayan Subramaniam: Our journey began with a bold vision: to create a long-lasting, sustainable brand that redefines mobility. With this vision, we set out to develop a performance-oriented motorcycle first, but it also brought significant challenges across key components. Instead of bypassing these obstacles, we embraced them, dedicating the initial seven years just to perfecting the very essence of our product—its drivetrain, battery, technology, motor, and overall system efficiency. By tackling these foundational challenges head-on, we unlocked the potential for vertical integration and modular adaptability, paving the way for future downstream innovations. This approach mirrors Tesla's strategy—starting with groundbreaking models like the Tesla Model S before expanding into mainstream products such as the Tesla Model 3 and Tesla Model Y.
Through this method, we built not just a motorcycle but a platform for sustainable innovation. While others took years, we leveraged this foundation in months, launching the F77 SuperStreet in 2025, followed by Tesseract and Shockwave. We have also been able to streamline our supply chain, reduce material costs, and make our technology more accessible without compromising on quality. We believe that our top-down approach is about leading with advancements, creating impact, and building a legacy that transforms the industry rather than merely participating in it. Today we are proudly making in India, for the World. Ultraviolette launched the Tesseract, a maxi-scooter-styled offering for the masses, earlier this year. The new Tesseract marked the F77 maker's foray into the electric scooter segment HT Auto: Seven years is a long commitment to R&D—how did the leadership maintain conviction in this approach when it brought the F77?
Narayan Subramaniam: At Ultraviolette, our commitment to R&D has always been driven by a singular vision—to redefine mobility through design, technology, innovation, and performance. Seven years is indeed a long time, but we knew that building a truly revolutionary product required patience, precision, and an unwavering belief in our approach to doing things.
From the very beginning, we were focused on engineering excellence. We weren't just developing an electric motorcycle as our flagship product; we were creating a new benchmark for the industry. This meant investing heavily in R&D, battery technology, drivetrain efficiency, exclusive design, and aerodynamics to ensure that every aspect of our product was optimised for superior performance. The conviction came from our deep understanding that cutting corners or rushing to market would compromise the very integrity of what we were trying to achieve.
Additionally, we surrounded ourselves with a team that shared this vision—engineers, designers, and innovators who believed in pushing boundaries. Every breakthrough, every prototype, and every test reinforced our belief that we were on the right path. The overwhelmingly positive response on our flagship product from early customers and investors further validated our approach, giving us the confidence to stay the course.
Our perseverance finally paid off. The F77 is a testament to what can be achieved when innovation is prioritised over convention. We believe that this long-term commitment to R&D has positioned Ultraviolette as a leader in advanced and performance-oriented mobility, and we are excited to continue pushing the limits of what's possible. The Ultraviolette Shockwave is an electric enduro bike with a top speed of 120 kmph and weighs just 120 kg. HT Auto: What safeguards ensure that innovation doesn't outpace market readiness for Ultraviolette?
Narayan Subramaniam: Innovation has and will always be at the core of everything we do, but we also recognise the importance of ensuring that technological advancements align with market readiness. Striking this balance requires a multi-faceted approach.
Firstly, we maintain a deep understanding of consumer behaviour and industry trends. Our team continuously engages with riders who are customers through community-led programs, enthusiasts, and experts to gauge expectations and collect feedback. This allows us to refine our technology in a way that resonates with real-world needs rather than just pushing boundaries for the sake of innovation. From launching the F77 MACH 2 last year, within a short span of eight months, we introduced the F77 SuperStreet. The F77 SuperStreet was conceived from the invaluable feedback received from customers and is a true testament to further strengthening our commitment towards them.
Secondly, we take an iterative approach to product development. Every breakthrough undergoes rigorous testing—both in controlled environments and real-world conditions—to ensure reliability, safety, and practicality. Our commitment to R&D over the years has allowed us to perfect critical components like battery technology and drivetrain efficiency before scaling them across different product segments. We work closely with the ecosystem to ensure that our innovations integrate seamlessly into market adoption.
Our goal is to lead the tech space in mobility in a way that is both visionary and pragmatic. By combining cutting-edge technology with a strategic rollout plan, we ensure that our innovation enhances the riding experience without outpacing the market's ability to embrace it. With over 60,000 pre-bookings in just one month, our debut scooter, Tesseract—the world's first radar-integrated scooter—stands as undeniable proof of innovation meets market readiness.
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First Published Date: 18 May 2025, 09:58 AM IST