Miami-based motorcycle manufacturer, UM Global, will mark its official entry into the Indian motorcycle market at the Delhi Auto Expo 2014 through its Indian subsidiary, UM Motorcycles.
A source close to the development told our sister magazine Autocar Professional that the American brand will have its entire portfolio of sportsbikes, cruisers, dual-purpose bikes and scooters ranging from 100cc to 250cc at the Auto Expo.
However, the company, which is still in its early stages of planning and executing operations locally, will not launch any two-wheeler there and we'll have to wait for that till sometime later in the year.
UM Motorcycles, which is working to set up its corporate office in Delhi, seems to be serious about the Indian market as, according to an industry source, it plans to set up not only a manufacturing / assembly plant but an R&D centre as well, going forward. We expect crucial announcements covering the roadmap for the brand in India at the Expo.
UM (United Motors) is a US-based motorcycle brand which makes affordable bikes and scooters and distributes them in over 20 different countries ranging from Latin America, Africa and Asia.
The company is known to globally sell commuters such as Razor (single-cylinder, 149.5cc), Falcon (single-cylinder, 124cc and 150cc), and other models in the sport bike category; Renegade Commando (single-cylinder, 223cc), Renegade Sport (single-cylinder, 137.8cc/180.4cc/196.4cc variants) and others under the cruiser vertical and Matrix (single-cylinder, 150cc), Powermax and GP1 using the single-cylinder, 124.6cc and 149.6cc engine options under the scooter category.
UM is also known for bringing innovative features to its affordable range of two-wheelers such as the patented CASH (communication awareness system helmet wherein the connected helmet communicates wirelessly with the UM motorcycle via Bluetooth technology), KAS (keyless alarm system wherein the system recognises the presence of the UM motorbike owner within 1.2 metres of the bike and the bike then can be started without using the key), BSM (blind spot mirror system wherein the rear view mirrors have a built-in section on the outer corner with a blind spot mirror, allowing the rider to see the following vehicles in the blind spot area) and many other value-added offerings on the two-wheelers.