As we all know, “copying” is a common practice in the automotive industry. Someone’s headlights or taillights remind us of someone else’s sometimes. But in most of these cases, it’ll be limited to borrowing just the design cues from a source and not a full-blown replica. After all, everyone is inspired by something.
Unfortunately, that’s not the case with Hero Electric’s Dash electric scooter. It looks almost like a (cheap) replica of Honda Moove, an ICE-powered scooter that was sold in Thailand. And you’ll find out why in a minute, read on.
Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI), which is a major player in the Indian two wheeler segment, is obviously not happy about this and has reportedly filed a lawsuit against Hero Electric seeking to stop the Indian company from manufacturing, selling and advertising the Dash electric scooter.
Even the taillight design of the Dash is similar to that of the Moove. (Both pictures are of Hero Electric Dash)
Although Hero Electric is not related to Hero MotoCorp – another major player in the industry, the Munjal families behind the two companies are related.
Reports suggest that Hero Electric doesn’t design or develop its own scooters but sources kits from China and assembles them in India. The company might very well be unaware of the fact that a similar looking scooter called Honda Moove existed elsewhere.
The Delhi High Court had asked Hero Electric to submit a response on June 2. However, the hearing has been postponed to June 11, 2020.
Both pictures are of Honda Moove
Unlike the Dash, the Honda Moove looks well put together and oozes quality. The now-discontinued scooted had a 108 cc 4-stroke petrol engine paired with a CVT.
The Dash was launched in India in August 2019. It has a 250-watt (0.3 hp) electric motor drawing juice from a 1.3 kWh lithium-ion battery pack. It has a claimed range of about 60 km (37 mi) per charge. The scooter can do a top speed of 25 km/h (15 mph) and doesn’t require licence and registration to operate.
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