Kinetic DX returns as EV, marking cautious re-entry built on in-house capabilities

Hindustan Times

6 days ago

Back in the 1980s, when India was still wedded to kick-starts and clunky gearboxes, a new scooter emerged that changed how the country moved. The Kinetic Honda DX , born from a joint venture with Honda Motor Co., brought self-start convenience and a gearless ride to urban India. It became an icon — not because it was transformational in performance, but because it slotted into everyday Indian life in a way few products do.
The Kinetic DX returns as an electric scooter under Kinetic Watts & Volts, built entirely in-house across Kinetic Group companies. With a focus on legacy design, restrained rollout, and vertical integration, the DX marks a quiet, engineering-led re-entry into India's EV two-wheeler space.
Now, in 2025, the DX is back — this time as a fully electric scooter, developed under a newly established arm of the Kinetic Group called Kinetic Watts & Volts. The name may sound contemporary, but the approach is anything but flashy. This isn't a revival built on nostalgia or noise. Instead, it's a measured exercise in leveraging old industrial muscle — one that hinges on engineering depth, in-house coordination, and a deliberate avoidance of shortcuts.
Inside-out, not outside-in
Unlike most new-age EV manufacturers that rely on imported components and white-label design, the Kinetic DX has been developed within the walls of the group — a coordinated effort that spans multiple group companies, each with legacy infrastructure of its own.
The chassis and metal body panels are made at Kinetic Engineering's Ahmednagar facility, which still retains its tooling and robotic welding lines from earlier product cycles. The battery packs, based on LFP chemistry and integrated with in-house BMS, are developed by RangeX, a new battery and energy systems arm of the Kinetic Group. The controller and motor, often the most critical and least localised elements in many EVs, come from Kinetic Communications, the group's electronics supplier.
Also Read : Kinetic DX launched in India at ₹1.12 lakh, promises 116 km of range
This internal loop — where design, hardware, electronics, and testing live within a tightly controlled ecosystem — is a deliberate move. As Ajinkya Firodia, Vice Chairman and MD of Kinetic Engineering, explained during the launch event, this wasn't about retrofitting a platform for electric. 'We told each company what we needed — not to supply, but to co-develop. It wasn't about assembling parts. It was about solving problems together," Firodia stated.
Design as memory and constraint
Perhaps the more nuanced challenge was reviving a design that lives in memory. The original DX's upright profile and clean surfaces were considered classic at the time. Translating that into an electric format, while housing modern internals like battery, controller, and wiring, proved complex.
To lead the effort, Kinetic brought in Alessandro Tartarini, son of the Italjet co-founder, Leopoldo Tartarini. Together, they retained subtle nods to the past — the horizontal stance, minimalist panels, and even the red starter button — while adapting proportions to accommodate today's mechanical and ergonomic needs.
As Firodia described it, creating the new DX was a delicate balancing act — honoring heritage without getting stuck in it. The EV couldn't risk appearing outdated, yet it couldn't disregard its heritage either. The result is restrained. Not retro for retro's sake, but familiar in its silhouette and scaled for today's urban roads.
For Ajinkya Firodia, creating the new DX was a delicate balancing act — honoring heritage without getting stuck in it. (Mohd Nasir for HT Auto)
Retail without overreach
The rollout strategy, too, reflects restraint. Kinetic has capped initial bookings for the DX at 40,000 units, with a production capacity of 60,000 annually from the Ahmednagar plant. Retail operations will begin with 20 dealerships, expanding to 150 within 18 months, prioritising cities where the Kinetic name still carries equity — a legacy advantage few modern players possess.
This is in contrast to the blitz-scaling models that have dominated India's EV space in recent years. Firodia's message is clear: 'Volume is not the first goal. Getting it right is."
Also watch: Kinetic DX Electric Scooter First Look 💥
Future moves: Not a flood, but a flow
For now, Kinetic is clear that its focus will remain solely on the DX. There is no rush to flood the market with variants or new models. Any future additions — including configurations with removable or swappable batteries for fleet use — will be considered only after the DX has found its footing in the market.
While there's evident potential in Kinetic's legacy nameplates, Firodia is in no hurry. 'Our hands are full with the DX," he admitted, adding that the next two to three years will be devoted entirely to scaling it and building its network. Any further revivals will have to earn their place through market logic, not sentiment.
The DX platform has been built to allow for steady evolution. OTA updates are expected to unlock new features over time, including cruise control, ride modes, and location services — a sign that Kinetic is building not just a product, but a system that can adapt without needing to be replaced.
A return that chooses depth over hype
In India's fast-growing EV segment, where new players rise quickly and pivot even faster, the DX's return feels quietly radical. It does not promise to change the industry overnight. It doesn't claim to be the lightest, fastest, or most digital. What it offers is a return to a way of building — not just a product, but an industrial process, grounded in supply-side discipline and design responsibility.
In that sense, the Kinetic DX may be more than just a revived nameplate.It can symbolize a modest but significant change in the manner in which legacy can become relevant once more — not by relying on nostalgia, but by reestablishing trust, piece by piece.
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