It’s pretty rare to see A-List celebrities riding a humble automatic scooter on Indian roads. Ace cricketer Virat Kohli and his actress wife Anushka Sharma recently took a spin on a Suzuki Access 125. The couple were in Madh Island, Mumbai, for a shoot, post which they decided to go on a quick scooter ride. Both Kohli and Sharma were wearing helmets with dark visors, perhaps for privacy, as they’d otherwise be mobbed by crowds. Here, take a look at the video.
It’s probably the first time that Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma have been spotted riding a scooter in India. Generally, the couple prefer their swanky cars. Both celebrities have a garage filled with high-end cars that range from Bentleys to Range Rovers.
In the past, Virat Kohli has been a brand ambassador for automobile brands such as Toyota and TVS Motors while Anushka Sharma has endorsed the TVS Scooty Pep automatic scooter. The only other occasions Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma were seen on two wheelers was during their brand endorsements.
Also read: 2020 Suzuki Access 125 automatic scooter launched
The Suzuki Access 125 is one of India’s top selling automatic scooters. It’s powered by 125cc, fuel injected four stroke engine that puts out 8.7 PS of peak power and 10 Nm of peak torque. This engine is paired with a CVT automatic gearbox, and the scooter is known to be one of the zippier models around. It’s priced at Rs. 77,600, ex-showroom Delhi.
Automatic scooters are a boon for city commuting
Riding an automatic scooter is one of the most effective ways to get around Indian cities, and this is a prime reason why sales of automatic scooters have been extremely strong. Not having to shift gears is a huge boon in stop and go traffic, and the sheer zippiness of automatic scooters make them a great buy for city commuting. There’s a profound change happening in this segment.
The rise of the electric scooter
Electric scooters are now challenging petrol powered automatic scooters, and in the next 5 years could dominate this space. It’s easy to understand why electric scooters are making deep inroads into the automatic scooter market. Automatic scooters are typically used for short commutes of under 10 kilometers – a distance that can easily be covered by electric scooters without putting riders through range anxiety.
An electric scooter with a range per charge of about 100-120 kilometers is more than adequate for everyday commuting for a vast number of buyers. While fuel costs have been going through the roof the low cost of electricity makes electric scooters very affordable to run. In fact, running costs of an electric scooter is less than 1/10th of that of a petrol powered automatic scooter, and this is another reason why they’re finding mass acceptance.
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