Latest news with #Tesseract
Geek Vibes Nation
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Vibes Nation
'ANDOR' Showrunner Tony Gilroy Does Not Think Much of Marvel's Playbook
Let's be real: Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) are two of the biggest entertainment juggernauts out there, both sitting comfortably under Disney's massive umbrella. But beyond their shared corporate parent, they've got something else in common—a knack for kicking off production with half-baked scripts or shaky plans. Think of the MCU's Captain America: Brave New World, which reportedly scrambled to find its footing, or Star Wars, which hasn't graced theaters since the polarizing Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker back in 2019. Both franchises have stumbled, but one Star Wars series managed to rise above the chaos: Andor. The second season of Andor has fans and critics raving, but it wasn't always smooth sailing. In a candid Zoom chat with /Film's Ben Pearson, showrunner Tony Gilroy spilled the tea on how Andor dodged a bullet by avoiding the same storytelling traps that have tripped up Marvel. An Early Misstep Almost Derailed Andor Picture this: Andor was originally pitched as a buddy-cop romp featuring Diego Luna's Cassian Andor and Alan Tudyk's snarky droid K-2SO. Think Star Wars meets Bad Boys—all action, quips, and maybe a few explosions. It could've been a blast, but Gilroy wasn't sold. 'In the show, it's perfect. [K-2SO's late introduction was] something I always intended. The versions that they had of the show prior, they were slick and they were interesting. They were not bad, but they had a fatal flaw, it seemed to me, which is if that's your show, that we're going to storm the Citadel in the pilot, what are you going to do in episode 9? What do you do? You're just going to keep getting the disc?' Gilroy, who's penned gritty hits like Michael Clayton and the Bourne trilogy, knew better. He scrapped the buddy-cop vibe and turned Andor into a tense, character-driven spy thriller. K-2SO's big entrance got pushed back, letting Cassian's journey from petty crook to rebel hero take center stage. The result feels less like a popcorn flick and more like a novel you can't put down. Marvel's Tesseract Trouble Gilroy didn't just critique Andor's early drafts—he took a swing at the MCU's playbook, too. He zeroed in on what he calls 'Tesseract-chasing.' Remember 2012's The Avengers? The whole plot revolves around the Tesseract, a glowing cube everyone's fighting over. 'Trying to get the, what do they call it? I can't remember the name of the box. What the f*** is the name of the box in 'The Avengers'? What the f*** are they going for? […] The Tesseract! That's why all those Marvel movies are all — that's why they fail. You're just constantly … if that's all you're doing, then all you're doing is just trying to get the Tesseract.' He's got a point. The MCU built its empire on MacGuffins—those plot-driving objects like the Tesseract (later revealed as an Infinity Stone), the Orb in Guardians of the Galaxy, or the Time Stone in Doctor Strange. The formula was gold for a while: heroes chase the shiny thing, bad guys get in the way, cue the epic battle. But as the MCU ballooned, this rinse-and-repeat approach started to feel stale. Vanity Fair has pointed out how Marvel's obsession with interconnected plots and spectacle has left its stories feeling hollow. How Andor Got It Right Andor could've gone the same route, churning out forgettable heist-of-the-week episodes. Instead, Gilroy bet on substance over flash. He wove a story rich with political intrigue and moral gray areas, making Cassian's transformation feel real and earned. The show's been compared to The Wire for its depth, a far cry from the MCU's splashy CGI slugfests. Gilroy's no rookie when it comes to fixing messes. He helped turn Rogue One from a troubled production into a fan favorite, and Andor proves he's still got the magic touch. Meanwhile, Marvel's recent flops, like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (Rotten Tomatoes), show what happens when you lean too hard on formula over heart. What Blockbusters Can Learn Gilroy's take boils down to a simple truth: MacGuffins like the Tesseract or the Ark of the Covenant in Raiders of the Lost Ark can kickstart a story, but they can't carry it. When franchises like the MCU—or Andor's early drafts—bank everything on chasing the next big plot device, they lose what makes stories stick: characters we root for and stakes that hit home. Andor proves you can tell bold, meaningful stories within a giant franchise. As Star Wars gears up for new films like James Mangold's project ( and the MCU aims to bounce back with Avengers: Secret Wars, they'd be smart to take notes from Gilroy. Forget the Tesseract. Tell a story that matters.
Mint
19-05-2025
- Automotive
- Mint
Bengaluru's Ultraviolette built India's most expensive export motorcycle. Now what?
Mumbai: Tucked away in a dusty small bylane, in an industrial area outside Bengaluru, a dozen crates get ready for shipment. The crates, which will be put in a container and sent to Germany, contain electric motorcycles made in one large shed that doubles up as a factory. The motorcycles are no pushovers. Even at their introductory price of £8,499 in the UK, they will be the most expensive Indian two-wheeler export. They will sport fit, finish and safety standards exacting regulations in western European markets. The specifications—like engine power, top speed and distance travelled per charge of battery (range)—are expected to be comparable to global competitors like Harley Davidson and Zero Motorcycles. However, when it goes on sale next month, European consumers will find the price tag to be significantly lower. For Ultraviolette Automotive, a startup founded in 2015 by two engineering college batchmates, Narayan Subramaniam and Niraj Rajmohan, it would be the moment of reckoning. While its competitors decided to make mass market scooters, Ultraviolette chose the harder path— a street electric motorcycle, which in the automotive world is considered a hard engineering problem. Many argued that it would be impossible to build a motorcycle with a large and heavy battery for long range; it could heat up at high speeds and compromise stability. But Ultraviolette managed to put it all together in its F77 model. The company has already sold 1,500 of them in India since its domestic launch in March 2023. Mukul Ingle from Pune bought a F77 in February 2024 and rode 16,500 km on it thus far. 'My Pune biking club has over 500 members riding mostly premium combustion engine motorcycles. My respect for the F77 is only growing. Most can't believe that my motorcycle hasn't had a glitch so far and that I have saved at least ₹50,000 in fuel costs," he says. In December 2024, another motorcycle under development, the F99, set a record for the fastest quarter mile and is also the fastest Indian motorcycle clocking a speed of 265 kmph. The records are certified by the Federation of Motor Sports Club of India. Then, in February this year, the company announced two new products—a scooter and an off-road motorcycle. With a special introductory offer of ₹120,000 (ex-showroom), the scooter, Tesseract, has already received 60,000 pre-bookings, while the off-roader, Shockwave, has 7,000 bookings. 'From a sheer engineering perspective, Ultraviolette has created a product that passes global muster. There isn't such an example from India and that makes them an important automotive startup case study," Vivekananda Hallekere, founder of Bengaluru-based electric scooter firm Bounce Infinity, says. Ultraviolette's bikes were initially sold in Bengaluru but has now expanded to 12 Indian cities. It is targeting 40 global markets. On the anvil are also bigger factories to make new products—Tesseract and Shockwave. Customer deliveries are expected to start during the March quarter of 2026. The bigger challenges begin now. 'Clearly, Ultraviolette has put itself on a clock to grow bigger and not doing so isn't an option now. Any delay in the delivery of the much sought after scooters won't sit well for the fledgling brand and the business," Deepak Rathore, founder of electric vehicle research firm Insight EV, says. Early risers After studying engineering in Bengaluru, Subramianiam branched off to specialize in vehicle design while Rajmohan studied management and worked in software firms like Yahoo and NetApp. When they got back together in 2015, India's electric two-wheeler business wasn't anything to talk about. In the overall 16 million two-wheeler market, electric vehicles accounted for a mere 16,000. They were mostly Chinese imports that had lead acid batteries, which meant low power and poor range. There weren't many startups in the sector either. Ather Energy was just two years old—Tarun Mehta and Swapnil Jain founded the company in 2013 to develop an electric scooter platform. It was early days for global bike makers, too. Back then, none of the Japanese giants, like Honda or Yamaha, had even announced prototypes for their electric models. And Harley Davidson unveiled its electric platform, Livewire, only in 2018. California-based Zero Motorcycles, considered the Tesla of electric motorcycles, unveiled its updated SR/F model, priced at £17,990, around the same time. 'All our competitive projects in college were about solving complex problems creatively. We, therefore, wanted to set ourselves a task that no one in India would ordinarily think of. Since Narayan (Subramaniam) was into racing, the idea of building a fast street motorcycle took shape," says Rajmohan, now the chief technology officer (CTO) of Ultraviolette. 'It was also the kind of project that kindled our passion." All of Ultraviolette's current laurels rest on its motorcycle, the F77. Apart from being the costliest Indian made electric two wheeler on the road, it has the most range per single charge. Its battery, the most expensive component, also comes with an 800,000 kilometre warranty. At its lowest price of ₹299,000, it is pricier than most Royal Enfield motorcycle models, the biggest maker of premium bikes in the country. The cheapest Royal Enfield, the 350cc motorcycle Hunter, starts at ₹149,000 (ex-showroom), going up to ₹368,000 (ex-showroom) for the Super Meteor 650. Some buyers compare Ultraviolette's F77 with higher priced international brands such as Aprilia 457 or a Kawasaki 400. The fuel As with many startups, raising money was difficult initially. 'We met 200 investors to showcase our idea before we got our first investor," says Subramaniam. One early investor to bet on the company was Vishesh Rajaram, managing partner of Speciale Invest, who came in as an angel investor. Subsequently, the Chennai-based venture capital firm invested in the company in 2022. 'We didn't invest in the company because they were making a street motorcycle but because they had enough ideas to create a design for a battery pack that could turn into powerful motorcycles," says Rajaram. 'We knew that was the problem to solve before the motorcycle idea even took shape." Shortly after Rajaram, two wheeler maker TVS Motor, which has several combustion engine racing models in its portfolio, invested ₹5 crore in the company in 2017. Ultraviolette first unveiled a prototype of its street motorcycle in 2019, which led to another round of funding. TVS Motor and GoFrugal, a company promoted by SaaS player Zoho's Kumar Vembu, participated. In August 2022, Ferrari's biggest shareholder, Exor, invested $10 million in the company. In November 2024, Ultraviolette raised ₹130 crore in a fresh round of capital led by Zoho. Earlier this month, it said it was raising ₹32.6 crore from a new bunch of investors. Overall, the startup has raised about $83 million. The battery The problem in making a viable electric motorcycle was that its battery had to be powerful enough to enable longer distances at high speed. Since power of the battery is directly proportional to size, it meant the battery pack on the motorcycle had to be large and therefore, heavy. That moved the centre of gravity of the overall motorcycle, making its handling very difficult. Most electric two-wheelers today deliver around 2 to 4 kWh of energy (capacity) and 3 to 11 kW of peak power. 'With the F77 Mach2, we had to scale that up to nearly 10 kWh and 30 kW of electrical power to match and exceed ICE performance. On the F99 racing platform, this went up to 100 kW. But the challenges aren't linear," says Rajmohan. When energy capacity and power are scaled up, increases in thermal loads, current handling, and safety complexity are exponential. One of the biggest breakthroughs was in building a compact, high-density battery architecture that could handle these demands reliably, with tight integration of power electronics, control systems, and safety architecture, he adds. The founder duo went about building things frugally. Once the battery is built, the packs have to be tested on prototypes. The tests generate data on how the battery behaved in actual use conditions; how fast the battery discharged at high speeds versus low speed conditions. The generated data is fed into a machine called the recycler, which simulates road conditions. The early problem for Ultraviolette was that the machine was available in Germany and cost $30,000. There was no way the startup was going to spend its seed money of about $390,000 for one such machine. Says Rajmohan: 'It took us some time but we built a recycler for ₹3,00,000." Hiring the right people helped, too. In 2020, just before the pandemic struck, Ultraviolette had 40 employees. An important executive was Vinayak Bhat, who was picked for his experience in avionics design. Bhat, who is currently the chief product officer, has been the main architect behind designing the battery module and power train. 'Unlike combustion engines which take lots of time and capital to build, electric vehicle technology isn't very difficult. For us, building the battery no one else would attempt was a kind of strategy moat," Subramaniam says. The final ready-to-ride version of the F77 became available in Bengaluru showrooms starting January 2023. The second showroom, in Pune, came up only 18 months later, forcing customers like Mukul Ingle to source from Bengaluru. In 2023-24, the company posted revenue of ₹15 crore and a net loss of ₹61.5 crore. The big question In many ways, Ultraviolette is where Ather Energy was five years ago. It has a great product and strong investors but needs money to scale up. The similarity ends there," says a partner with a Singapore-based investment firm who didn't want to be identified. 'As the F77 is for a niche audience, and more expensive, scale up is going to be more difficult," the executive added. Though Ather was an early mover in the electric scooter business, later entrants like Bajaj Auto, TVS Motor and Ola Electric now sell more scooters. Ather also had to change its strategy, from selling a premium model to introducing cheaper versions for volumes. The options before Ultraviolette, however, are limited. By increasing the points of sales and more marketing, it can hope to achieve bigger volumes. But the company may be running out on time—more competition is knocking at the door. Zero Motorcycles has tied up with Hero MotoCorp to launch their electric motorcycle models in India. Bajaj Auto has said that it will bring its electric motorcycles soon, while Royal Enfield has unveiled its electric model, Flying Flea, at EICMA 2024, an international two-wheeler exhibition. It is expected to launch in the fourth quarter of 2025-26. Like we mentioned earlier, Ultraviolette has already accepted bookings for its scooter and has given itself about 12 months to deliver them. The company, therefore, would require more money to quickly put up a larger factory, staff it, and build the scooters. Says Rathore of Insight EV: 'Even if Ultraviolette wants to deliver just a few thousand scooters in the first year, it will have to go the distance to set up a larger factory as its current one in Bengaluru is not big enough." The Bengaluru plant has an annual capacity of 10,000 units per shift. One possibility is TVS Motor bringing in more cash. The two-wheeler maker currently owns about 28% and classifies Ultraviolette as an associate company in its balance sheet. More funding could possibly result in a majority stake. 'The life of a startup, even if they have achieved what they set out to do, is not linear," says Rajaram of Speciale Invest. 'These are situations that happen on a daily basis and the promoters need to look for solutions. And every startup problem is always a tough one."
Hindustan Times
19-05-2025
- Automotive
- Hindustan Times
Auto recap, May 18: Maruti Dzire launch in South Africa, MG Windsor Pro delivery milestone, Ultraviolette CEO interview
Here is your quick check on the biggest developments in the world of automobiles. Here is your quick check on the biggest developments in the world of automobiles. Check Offers The automotive industry is progressing rapidly, posing difficulties in staying informed about all the latest updates. At HT Auto, we are dedicated to delivering the most relevant and timely information as it becomes available. Below is a concise overview of the key highlights from Sunday, May 18. What propelled Ultraviolette to take a top-down product strategy, reveals CEO Ultraviolette Automotive has grabbed a lot of eyeballs with its high-performance electric two-wheelers, including motorcycles and scooters. The Indian EV startup that launched the Tesseract electric scooter and the Shockwave electric dual-purpose motorcycle earlier this year is now working on a range of upcoming two-wheelers across different segments. 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. Also Read : What propelled Ultraviolette to take a top-down product strategy, reveals CEO Made-in-India Maruti Suzuki Dzire launched in South Africa The Maruti Suzuki Dzire has officially expanded its global footprint with a recent launch in South Africa, following its earlier debut in the Philippines. While the car continues to be built on the same successful platform that has won over Indian buyers, its South African version comes with a few important distinctions, both in features and pricing. Also Read : Maruti Suzuki Dzire launched in South Africa. Here's how it differs from the Indian model MG Windsor EV Pro deliveries commenced: 150 units handed over in a single day MG Motor India has announced that it has delivered 150 units of the recently launched Windsor EV Pro on a single day in Bengaluru. The deliveries for the MG Windsor Pro commenced on May 16, 2025. The EV was launched recently and secured 8,000 bookings in just 24 hours. It is the new top-end variant in Windsor's lineup and comes with several new features over the standard Windsor EV. The MG Windsor Pro was launched in India at a price of ₹ 17.49 lakh (ex-showroom), which is available for the first 8,000 consumers. Also, the EV is available with the battery-as-a-service (Baas) option as well, which enables consumers to buy it at a cost of ₹ 12.49 lakh (introductory and ex-showroom). In this case, the buyer has to shell out an amount of ₹ 4.50 for each kilometre driven. With the introductory prices over, the Windsor Pro is priced at ₹ 18.09 lakh, ex-showroom, while with BaaS, the prices are up to ₹ 13.10 lakh. Also Read : MG Windsor EV Pro deliveries commenced: 150 units handed over in a single day. Check details Nissan's global restructuring could spell the end of its India manufacturing operations: Reports As Nissan Motor Co. embarks on a massive global cost-cutting and restructuring strategy, reports suggest the Japanese carmaker may shut down its manufacturing operations in India. While the company has not issued any official confirmation, multiple Japanese media outlets—including Yomiuri Shimbun and Kyodo News have reported that India is among the countries being considered for an exit. Earlier in April this year, Renault Group announced that it would acquire the remaining 51 per cent shareholding in the Renault-Nissan Automotive India Private Ltd (RNAIPL). The majority stake in the RNAIPL is currently held by Nissan Motor Corp. Purchasing this stake will allow Renault to take complete ownership of the Renault-Nissan Alliance's manufacturing plant in India. Also Read : Nissan's global restructuring could spell the end of its India manufacturing operations: Reports Get insights into Upcoming Cars In India, Electric Vehicles, Upcoming Bikes in India and cutting-edge technology transforming the automotive landscape. First Published Date: 19 May 2025, 06:33 AM IST
Hindustan Times
18-05-2025
- Automotive
- Hindustan Times
Interview: What propelled Ultraviolette to take a top-down product strategy, reveals CEO
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. Also Read : Upcoming bikes in India 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. Check out Upcoming EV Bikes in India. First Published Date: 18 May 2025, 09:58 AM IST
India Today
15-05-2025
- Automotive
- India Today
From Flying Flea C6 to e-Access: Know about the upcoming electric 2-wheelers
The electric two-wheeler market is charging towards an exciting future, with a slew of innovative models from leading manufacturers poised to hit the roads. From retro-inspired designs to electrified avatars of popular scooters. Here's a detailed look at these upcoming electric e-AccessThe Suzuki e-Access is expected to hit the roads this year and is designed to offer practical and affordable urban mobility as an electric variant of the Access 125. It features a 51.2V Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery with a 3.072 kWh capacity, delivering a range of 95 km per charge (as per AIS 040). The 4.1kW motor produces maximum power of 4.1kWh and 15Nm of torque. Charging is versatile with an off-board, single-phase AC 200–240V, 50/60 Hz charger. Using a portable charger, it reaches 0–80% in 4 hours and 30 minutes and 0–100% in 6 hours and 42 minutes at 25C ambient temperature. A fast charger reduces this to 0–80% in 1 hour 12 minutes and 0–100% in 2 hours 12 minutes. It offers a ground clearance of 160mm, a seat height of 765mm, and a curb mass of 122kg. The suspension includes a telescopic, coil spring, oil-damped front and a swingarm-type, coil spring, oil-damped rear for a comfortable ride. It rides on 12-inch alloy wheels with tubeless tyres (front: 90/90-12, rear: 100/80-12 56J). Braking is handled by a front disc and rear drum setup. The e-Access comes with LED lighting for the headlight, tail light, and TesseractUltraviolette Tesseract was launched in March at an ex-showroom price of Rs 1.45 lakh. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in Q1 2026. The Tesseract is powered by a 20.1bhp electric motor, though the exact battery capacity hasn't been disclosed yet. The scooter boasts an IDC range of 261 km on a full charge and can accelerate from 0 to 60kmph in just 2.9 seconds, with a top speed of 125kmph. According to Ultraviolette, the scooter can cover up to 500km using two full charges, costing only Rs 100. The Tesseract comes equipped with a 7-inch TFT touchscreen instrument cluster featuring built-in navigation, front and rear dashcams, wireless charging, haptic feedback on the handlebars, dual-channel ABS, twin disc brakes, traction control, hill hold assist, and dynamic stability control. A major highlight is its radar-based Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS)—a first for any Indian scooter. With radars mounted at the front and rear, it supports blind spot detection, overtake alerts, collision warnings, and lane change assistance. It also integrates Violette AI for optimal system performance. Design-wise, the scooter features dual LED projector headlamps with floating DRLs, LED taillamps, and rides on 14-inch wheels. It offers a spacious 34-litre under-seat storage compartment, large enough to hold a full-face ShochwaveadvertisementAlongside the Tesseract, Ultraviolette also introduced the Shockwave electric motorcycle in March, priced at Rs 1.75 lakh (ex-showroom). Deliveries are scheduled to begin in early 2026. The Shockwave represents Ultraviolette's entry into the lightweight motorcycle segment. The Shockwave offers an IDC-certified range of 165 km on a full charge. It can accelerate from 0 to 60 kmph in just 2.9 seconds, with a claimed top speed of 120 kmph. Ultraviolette states that the battery can be recharged from 20% to 80% in under 30 minutes using the Supernova charger, and in about 50 minutes with the Boost Charger. Feature-wise, the Shockwave comes equipped with dual LED headlamps, four traction control modes, switchable dual-channel ABS, and six levels of regenerative braking. It rides on spoked wheels, with a 19-inch front and 17-inch rear Flea C6Royal Enfield is set to make waves in the electric motorcycle segment with the Flying Flea C6, its first electric offering under the EV sub-brand 'Flying Flea.' Unveiled at EICMA 2024 and showcased in Bengaluru, the C6 is slated for launch in Q4 FY26 (January–March 2026). The Flying Flea C6 blends retro aesthetics with modern tech, featuring a circular headlamp, teardrop-shaped faux fuel tank, and a Bluetooth-enabled circular TFT display. Exact specifications are yet to be revealed. The C6's launch will be followed by the S6 model. Royal Enfield has announced that it has filed 45 patents covering various in-house technologies. A key development is the introduction of a central Vehicle Control Unit (VCU) that brings together physical and digital interface elements for enhanced integration. At the front, the motorcycle sports a forged aluminium Girder fork—a suspension design reminiscent of pre-1930s motorcycles—paired with an articulating mudguard. Enhancing this vintage-inspired look are a sleek forged aluminium chassis and a magnesium battery housing, both of which reflect the distinctive design language of the FF-C6. The retro feel is further emphasized by a round headlamp casing and a minimalist single-pod instrument cluster. The VCU is capable of over 200,000 ride mode configurations, actively tracks the bike's performance, and supports Over The Air (OTA) updates for introducing new functionalities. The FF-C6 will be offered in both single-seat and dual-seat variants and will feature lean-angle sensitive ABS as well as a standard domestic 3-pin plug for convenient Vida ZadvertisementHero MotoCorp's electric vehicle arm, Vida, is preparing to launch the Vida Z, a new electric scooter aimed at strengthening its position in the competitive e-scooter market. The Vida Z was showcased at the Bharat Mobility Expo 2025. The Vida Z is expected to offer enhanced range and features while maintaining affordability. Hero has not officially detailed the Vida Z's specifications. Expected to launch this year, the Vida Z could leverage Hero's vast dealership to Auto Today Magazine
