When Ultraviolette Automotive launched the X47 electric motorcycle on Tuesday, it didn’t expect 3,000 bookings by Wednesday. After all, in more than 2 years of launching the F77 – the predecessor of the X47 – the Bengalurubased startup has sold only 2,000odd units.
“The F77 is a niche product, a trackfocused motorcycle, but the X47 is a massmarket premium crossover,” Niraj Rajmohan, cofounder of Ultraviolette, told FE. “We knew it would attract a lot of attention, but the speed (3,000 bookings in 24 hours) was a surprise.”
To meet the soaring demand, Ultraviolette is getting aggressive on production and network expansion. Rajmohan said that fullscale production for the X47 has started, and anticipates that the delivery of the 3,000 onlinebooked units – a number that will be higher when including offline bookings made at their current 30 dealerships – will be complete by JanuaryFebruary of the coming year. “We can scale up production to 1,000 units per month very easily, and up to 3,000 a month with some planning,” Rajmohan said.
Till last year, the company had just one dealership in Bengaluru, and another coming up in Pune. In 2025, however, it went on a sales network expansion, and has reached 30 cities. Ultraviolette plans to grow it rapidly, and is targeting 40 cities by Diwali in October, 50 by the end of the year, and a massive 100 cities by next year.
Beyond the X47, Ultraviolette is investing in the development of two more models: the Tesseract electric scooter and the Shockwave electric motorcycle. Rajmohan noted that both models are in advanced stages of development and are undergoing rigorous testing. “The scooter, in particular, demands tremendous skill,” he said. “We will launch it only when we are confident that we have perfected it in terms of durability and performance.”
Addressing a technical query regarding the inclusion of a gearbox in electric motorcycles – a feature seen in some competitor models such as Matter Aera – Rajmohan emphasised that a gearbox is unnecessary for an EV drivetrain. “We never felt the need,” he said, pointing out that electric cars are also gearless, and the same logic applies to electric twowheelers.
The X47 is claimed to be the world’s first motorcycle with integrated radar technology as standard (UV HyperSense rider assistance suite). Rajmohan said that this system includes a rear radar for features like blind spot monitoring, lane change assist, and rear collision warning, and such technologies attract modern customers who treat their bikes as an extension of their tech devices.
The most significant disclosure was Ultraviolette’s timeline for a market listing. Rajmohan said that the IPO is about 24 months away. “We want to be very, very clear on the fundamentals of the business,” he stressed. “Our longterm goal is to build a sustainable endeavour, which involves achieving key financial milestones: gross margins, operating break evens, and a full break even. We have a very clear transition across each of these three stages over the next 18 months, and then positioning for a listing when the business case is strong.”
Ultraviolette has attracted international and domestic investors over the years. The most recent is TDK Ventures, an arm of TDK Corporation, which led a $21million investment in Ultraviolette in August 2025. Other key investors include Exor Capital (now Lingotto), Qualcomm Ventures, TVS Motor, and the Zoho Group.
While Rajmohan didn’t provide the breakdown of the shareholding, sources told FE that Lingotto and others from the similar round own approximately 10% of Ultraviolette, the Zoho Group holds about 15%, TVS Motors holds a substantial stake of 2728%, and shareholders from the seed and angel stages retain close to 15%.
While TVS is a major investor with a board presence, Rajmohan clarified that the relationship is one of arm’s length transactions. “TVS is supportive, offering assistance with supply chain and network needs, but Ultraviolette operates as an independent company,” he said.
