The x2 model Segway at INDESEC.
The Segway PT (Personal Transporter) is a transportation device with two wheels and a base between them, which has gyroscopes to sense the presence and weight of the rider and automatically balances upright. Once the rider is standing on the base, all he or she has to do is to lean forward to move, backwards to stop or go backwards and steer the handle by leaning pressure.
Rony Abraham of Bird Retail, in charge of marketing and distribution of Segway in India and the region, says they began operations in India in April and have already made a mark. “We’ve sold around 15 units so far. Four of them to DIAL (Delhi International Airport Limited) and some of the others to HNIs (High Net worth Individuals),” says Abraham.
Abraham’s company, based in Gurgaon, imports Completely Knocked Down (CKD) kits to India and assembles them here. He says import duty has been a problem in making the Segway affordable, but that they were looking to find a solution in terms of volumes of sales. Abraham is offering two models, the i2 and the x2.
The i2 is a Segway for daily use and claims 38 kilometers on a single charging of its Lithium-Ion batteries and can run at a maximum speed of 20 kilometers per hour. The x2 is the chunkier model with deeply-treaded tires for different types of terrain including ‘dirt, grass, gravel or sand’.
Right now, depending on the model, the Segway is priced at a range of between INR 450,000 to INR 550,000 and is being displayed at INDESEC, the homeland security exhibition, on in New Delhi’s Pragati Maidan through Wednesday.
