The company, which has been collaboratively working with passenger vehicle majors, including Tata Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra, and Maruti Suzuki India, in India and offers a host of cockpit and digital solutions, including infotainment, telematics, audio, and digital clusters, intends to leverage its expertise in designing human-machine interface (HMI) systems to enter the country’s growing electric two-wheeler segment.
Sales of electric two-wheelers in India surpassed the million-units mark for the first time in FY2023 – 11,71,944 units and 155% YoY growth – and cumulative sales in the first nine months of CY2023, at 616,673 units are up 49%. At end-September 2023, total EV sales were just 14,501 units shy of entire CY2022’s retail sales of 631,174 units, a figure which will be surpassed in October. It’s this rapid rate of growth which has drawn Harman’s interest.
“We believe there is tremendous potential in India’s two-wheeler EV segment, and while we have catered to this category in global markets, we are right now in the process of conceptualising our products for India. This is a market that we have recognised as a key pillar of our future growth strategy, and we should soon be showcasing our innovations in this area,” Nikhil Iyer, Vice-President, Software Engineering for Digital Cockpit, Harman India.
The company believes that just like intelligent cockpit solutions such as wireless smartphone connectivity, and beaming of navigation into the line of sight of the driver in a car, are improving the driving experience whilst making it safer too, it also foresees the potential of modern connectivity technologies playing a huge convenience- and safety enhancement role in two-wheelers.
Globally, the company has been offering its two-wheeler-centric solutions to OEMs, including the likes of Harley-Davidson, Yamaha and Honda, and acknowledges that so far, the category has not been its focus area in the Indian automotive market since it entered the country in 2008. “This segment is a really different ballgame, but we are hopeful of showcasing some products very soon,” Iyer pointed out.
