Kinetic Engineering Limited
| BSE: 500240 | |
| Industry | Automotive |
| Founded | 1972 |
| Founder | H. K. Firodia |
| Headquarters | , India |
Key people | Arun Firodia (chairperson) Ajinkya Firodia (Managing Director) Sulajja Firodia Motwani (vice-chair) |
| Products | Kinetic Luna |
| Parent | Firodia Group |
| Subsidiaries | Kinetic Honda |
| Website | kineticindia |
Kinetic Engineering Limited is an Indian automotive manufacturer. The company was founded in the year 1972 by H. K. Firodia. Today it is an automotive component manufacturer which formerly sold two-wheelers under the brand names Kinetic Honda and later Kinetic Motors. It introduced the Kinetic Luna moped which sold well domestically and was exported extensively to Argentina, Brazil, Sri Lanka, and the United States.
Later Kinetic Engineering formed a joint venture with Honda Motor Company to introduce Kinetic Honda scooters, which had electric start and gearless transmissions. Kinetic and Honda parted ways in 1998 when the Firodias bought the majority stake of the joint venture from Honda. In 2008, Kinetic entered into a joint venture with Mahindra Automobiles, where Mahindra held an 80% stake.[1] By this joint venture, Mahindra acquired the two-wheeler manufacturing facilities as well as the then selling brands of Kinetic.
After ceasing two-wheeler manufacturing, Kinetic Engineering produces and exports automotive components. Kinetic Motors resumed operations in January 2011 and has announced plans to produce electric vehicles under the newly launched Kinetic Green Brand. A new version of the Luna called the E-LUNA launched in February 2024.[2] The prebookings were open from on 26 Jan 2024 .[3][4][1]
At present,KEL aims to re-enter the Motorcycle segment, having the Kinetic E-Luna and various other brands in production via its Subsidiary- Kinetic Green. The company is currently working on electric Two and Three wheelers.[5]
In February 2014, Kinetic sold its stake in Mahindra Two-Wheelers to Samena Capital for 182 crore rupees.[6]
In 2015 MV Agusta entered a partnership with Kinetic Group for its Indian debut.[citation needed]
Kinetic Luna
[edit]
Kinetic Luna is a 50 cc moped that was introduced by Kinetic Engineering in India in 1972.[7] The Kinetic Luna continues to be produced and marketed in India. It is marketed in the US as Kinetic TFR. A 35 cc version, the Luna Wings, was also produced. The original Luna of 1972 was a licensed copy of Piaggio Ciao moped. It has since been updated by Kinetic until the end of production in early 2000s.
Models
[edit]Luna kinetic
- Luna TFR (out of production)
- Luna TFR Plus
- Luna Double plus
- Luna Wings
- Luna Magnum
- Luna Super
Kinetic E-Luna
[edit]| Manufacturer | Kinetic Engineering Limited |
|---|---|
| Production | 2024 |
| Predecessor | Kinetic Luna |
| Class | Electric Bike |
| Top speed | 60 kph |
| Power | 3kWh |
| Suspension | Telescopic Fork front suspension and dual shock rear suspension |
| Dimensions | L: 1985mm W: 735mm H: 1036mm |
| Seat height | 760mm |
| Weight | 96kg (dry) |
| Range | ~100km |
The Kinetic E-Luna is an Electric bike build by Kinetic Green and based on the Kinetic Luna. It was launched on February 7, 2024.[8][9][10]
Kinetic announced that it would start bookings for the E-Luna on26 January with a reservation fee of ₹500.[11]
Development
[edit]Kinetic had started a pilot project around September 2023 in some locations of Maharashtra with an aim to sell the vehicle to a couple of thousand people and gather customer feedback using prototype models, which were met with success.[12]
The company intends to target the Rs 25,000-30,000 monthly income group which uses public transportation, such as shared automobiles or local buses. The company is aiming for 5,000 electric Lunas per month.[clarification needed] The company hopes to gross close to Rs 30 crore annually[9][13]
Design
[edit]The e-Luna was introduced with three battery packs. The first batch will have a 2 kWh battery pack which will give a range of 80 km. The company also hopes to introduce a 1.5 kWh battery pack for Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets for a 40–45 km range, and a 3 kWh battery pack, which will give a range of 100-125km, .[9] the Kinetic E-Luna comes with Telescopic Fork front suspensions and dual shock rear suspension.[10] It would have a top speed of around 60 kph, a weight of 96 kg (212 lb), a seat height of 760 mm (30 in), and a ground clearance of 170 mm.[11][8] The batteries will be made inhouse with three different variants – chargeable, removable and swappable.[14]
The model will come with four drive modes - ECO, City, Speed and Sport. It will be more rugged, with an improved halogen headlight and white color-turned indicators on the side. It will have a fully digital console and an app for connectivity control.[15][16]
In December 2024, Kinetic unveiled plans to extend the range of the moped using a 4.3kWh battry pack with a range of 250 kilometres. It was planned to be available by January 2025.[17]
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ International Business Times, 31 July 2008, "Mahindra & Mahindra buys Kinetic Motor for Rs.110 crore, forays into two-wheeler market" by Surojit Chatterjee.
- ^ MotorLane's Desk (7 February 2024). "New Kinetic Luna Electric launched Starting At Rs. 69,990/- MotorLane - Worlds No.1 Automotive Website". Retrieved 8 February 2024.
- ^ "Kinetic Green e Luna Price- Range, Charging Time, Speed, Images & Specs". www.bikedekho.com. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ "Kinetic E-Luna features revealed: Check its price and specifications". The Economic Times. 25 January 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ "Kinetic Engineering to take EV route to re-enter two-wheeler market - The Economic Times". m.economictimes.com. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
- ^ "Kinetic Engineering sells its Stake in Mahindra for 182 Crores". IANS. news.biharprabha.com. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
- ^ "Kinetic Luna". Retrieved 13 August 2012.
- ^ a b "E-Luna Price Announcement To Take Place On February 7th". TimesNow. 29 January 2024. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ a b c Vijay, Amit (29 January 2024). "Autocar India". AutoCar India. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ a b "Kinetic E-Luna features revealed: Check its price and specifications". The Economic Times. 25 January 2024. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ a b "Iconic Kinetic Luna to return as e-moped in Feb: Bookings begin on Republic Day". The Times of India. 25 January 2024. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ Singh, Anjali (29 January 2024). "Kinetic Green to launch E-Luna in February, bookings start on January 26". Business Standard. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ HT Auto Desk (25 January 2024). "Remember Kinetic Luna? Now get ready for E-Luna with bookings at ₹500". HT Auto. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ Anand, N. (27 January 2024). "Kinetic Green plans a big role in e2w segment with Luna". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ HT Auto Desk (6 February 2024). "Kinetic Green E-Luna electric moped to be launched tomorrow: What to expect?". HT Auto. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
- ^ "Kinetic Green to revive Luna in electric avatar today". Moneycontrol. 7 February 2024. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
- ^ "Kinetic Green confirms E-Luna variant with range of two electric scooters: Details". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
