Back in the 1980s, there was one two-wheeler brand that was almost synonymous with its category, mopeds — the Kinetic Luna. The brand became a household name with its innovative advertising and its ‘chal meri Luna’ tagline, credited to Indian ad guru Piyush Pandey.
Little wonder then that in its prime, the Luna held over 90% of the moped market. In the early 2000s however, it had to halt production once brands such as Bajaj, Hero Honda and TVS shook things up.
But now, over two decades later, Kinetic Green, a subsidiary of Kinetic Engineering that manufactured the first Luna, has brought India’s much-loved bike brand back, albeit in an electric avatar. And with it, the popular advertising tagline, chal meri Luna has also returned!
Sulajja Firodia Motwani, founder & CEO of Kinetic Green, explains why the new E-Luna is leveraging a 40-year-old tagline to recreate the 1980’s magic. “We wanted to build on the brand’s legacy and on the popularity of the campaign simply because it resonated so much with consumers. Much like the original Luna, the E-Luna also has aspirational appeal and our communication will build a sense of pride of ownership among consumers,” says Motwani.
At a starting price of 69,999 and with EMIs as low as2,000, she expects the Indian hinterland to be a major growth market for the E-Luna. Since its launch last February, the brand has so far sold around 20,000 vehicles and is targeting sales of 50,000 E-Lunas in the next fiscal.
Look at the potential. The electric two-wheeler segment grew by 33% in 2024 over the previous year, reaching a sales volume of 1.14 million vehicles, according to the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA). C S Vigneshwar, president of FADA, notes that the category is dominated by players such as TVS and Bajaj Auto, and is expected to see a threefold increase over the next five years. “Half the scooter category will be electric by 2030,” he says, noting that environmental awareness and progress in EV technology have been driving the category forward.
Roadmap for growth
The E-Luna launch has clearly come at a time when the market is gravitating towards greener options, but experts question whether nostalgia is the best way forward. “With chal meri Luna, the brand appeals to that cohort that saw a different India and not the India that it has become. Luna needs an appeal that reflects the new, modern tech brand,” remarks Naresh Gupta, founder & managing partner, Bang In The Middle.
The messaging might have been built on an old tagline, says Motwani, but it showcases the attributes of the E-Luna, and holds appeal for young consumers seeking cost-effective, versatile solutions.
Broadly, she explains that there are two major consumer groups that the E-Luna is targeting. “The first is e-commerce, quick commerce and food delivery platforms like BigBasket, Zomato, Blinkit and Domino’s Pizza. The E-Luna is ideal for delivery workers because of its sturdy design with ample space for the delivery items.” About 40% of the E-Luna sales came from the B2B segment, largely in urban markets. In fact, the brand has designed a special E-Luna for Zomato workers with a higher range of 200 kilometres. The basic E-Luna offers a range of 125 kilometres.
The second key focus market for E-Luna lies in smaller cities, towns and even rural areas where electricity is far more available than fuel pumps. “Nearly half of India’s population earns between 15,000 and35,000 a month. This is the aspirational group we are targeting largely across smaller cities and towns, and not the average Bangalore youngster,” Motwani says.
Luna does have a natural advantage, as the brand name carries considerable residual equity for consumers and is not a newcomer like Ola, points out Nisha Sampath, managing partner, Bright Angles Consulting. However, e-bikes have changed the parameters of evaluation. “The brand has to find strengths in its legacy, which will also connect to younger consumers. Advertising plays its part but so does the showroom, usership and service experience. Favourable word of mouth will be critical for brand success,” sums up Sampath.