In 1972, the Arun Firodia-run Kinetic group introduced the licensed version of Piaggio Ciao-Luna which became synonymous with its central theme 'Chal Meri luna' giving mobility to the common man to upgrade from a bicycle to motorised transport.
At just 50 kgs, the Luna was a hybrid between a bicycle and a scooter and it stormed into the scooter market carving its own niche with its twin shock absorbers and a centrally mounted engine as compared to side-mounted engines in scooters which gave it a fairly stable ride quality.
The Kinetic Luna, very early in the history of Indian automotive manufacturing, also introduced the use of plastics for light weighting in the fan, air filter, sari guard, and headlights to reduce the load. Moreover, its 16inch wheels as compared to 9inch diameter wheels in the scooters gave it better traction on the road.
In the words of brand management expert, Harish Bijoor of Harish Bijoor Inc Consults, Kinetic Luna entered the Indian market where scooters were the order of the day and lesser mortals rode bicycles.
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