Indian automaker Hero MotoCorp has announced that it will be increasing the prices of its motorcycles and scooters in India with effect from July 1, 2021. As per a statement released by the company, the price hike is being done to partially offset the impact of a continuous increase in commodity prices. “The company continues to drive cost savings program aggressively, in order to minimize the impact on the customer,” the statement added.

The hike in ex-showroom prices by the company will be up to Rs 3,000 depending on the model.

Earlier this year, the country’s largest two-wheeler maker Hero MotoCorp said had partnered with Taiwan-based Gogoro Inc to collaborate in the field of electric mobility. As per the partnership, the companies will establish a battery swapping joint venture to bring Gogoro’s industry-leading battery swapping platform to India and will collaborate on electric vehicle development to bring Hero-branded, powered by Gogoro network vehicles to market.

“(It) marks another major milestone in our journey, as we bring Hero’s leadership in two-wheelers, our global scale and innovation powerhouse, with the leadership of Gogoro in swapping business model, as they have demonstrated over the years in Taiwan and rest of the world,” Hero MotoCorp Chairman and CEO Pawan Munjal said in a statement. This partnership will further extend the work, which the company is doing at its R&D hubs at the Centre of Innovation and Technology (CIT) in Jaipur and Tech Centre in Germany, he added.

The vision and commitment of Hero and Gogoro is perfectly aligned towards the common goal of accelerating the shift to smart, sustainable electric mobility in India, and around the world, Munjal noted. “With this new partnership, we commit to introducing a sustainable mobility paradigm, first in India and then in other markets around the world. This partnership will strengthen and expedite the Indian government’s electrification drive and will have a significant impact on India’s energy and mobility future, he added.

Gogoro Inc Founder and CEO Horace Luke said: “We are at a critical stage in the transformation of urban mobility and the evolution of smart cities. With more than 225 million gas-powered two-wheel vehicles in India, the need for smart and sustainable electric transportation and refuelling is vital.” The Hero-Gogoro partnership addresses these challenges and will leverage Hero’s market strength and Gogoro’s industry-leading innovations to deliver smart vehicles and refuelling with Gogoro Network battery swapping, he added. With more than 3,75,000 riders and 2,000 battery swapping stations, Gogoro Network manages 2,65,000 daily battery swaps with more than 174 million total battery swaps to date.