India will see the introduction of BMW’s domestically produced CE 02 electric two-wheeler. This is the first electric vehicle (EV) to come from the TVS-BMW alliance. TVS Motor Co., based in Hosur, is not just the manufacturer; it also co-developed the platform with BMW Motorrad. Additionally, TVS exports the CE 02; from April to June of 2024, 2,652 units were sold to international markets.
But prior to the CE 02’s release, BMW made the decision to introduce the CE 04—its larger sibling—in India on July 4, 2024. For the past few years, the CE 04—BMW’s first large electric scooter—has been sold abroad. However, the 04 is made in Berlin and imported as a CBU into India, which accounts for its high asking price. This is not the case with the CE 02.
Though by no means an inexpensive electric scooter, the CE 02 will be significantly more economical than the 04 in this regard. For instance, in every foreign region where it is sold, the pricing is more than that of the 310cc versions, even though the 310s are also produced at the same TVS facility.
The CE 02 could launch in India somewhere closer to the final months of the year. It will be interesting to see what sort of a pricing strategy BMW adopts in India, but it will surely be positioned well above the TVS X electric scooter, which costs Rs 2.49 lakh, ex-showroom.
As for the newly launched CE 04, part of the reason it took so long to launch in our market was the success of the C 400 GT, the first maxi scooter that BMW launched in India. The C 400 GT went on sale in late 2021, and despite an on road price of over Rs 11 lakh, it still went on to sell decent numbers. This encouraged the company to bring the even more expensive CE 04 to India.