Posts

Showing posts from July 21, 2025

Unforgotten Brands: Luna

๐”๐ง๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐จ๐ญ๐ญ๐ž๐ง ๐๐ซ๐š๐ง๐๐ฌ: ๐‹๐ฎ๐ง๐š In the early 1970s, India was on the cusp of transformation. Bicycles dominated the roads, and motorcycles were still a luxury for the affluent. In this backdrop, a visionary idea was born in Pune, where Kinetic Engineering, part of the Firodia Group, set out to create a two-wheeler that was affordable, easy to use, and practical for the everyday Indian โ€“ a blend of bicycles and motorcycles. โœ…Naming Inspired by the Italian Piaggioโ€™s Ciao, they developed a 50cc moped. Gave it a celestial name: Luna, Latin for โ€œmoon.โ€ โœ…Launched in 1972: Small Size, Big Impact When Luna was launched in 1972, it weighed just 50 kilograms and could be pedalled like a cycle when it ran out of fuel. It was Indiaโ€™s very first mopedโ€”simple, reliable, and aspirational. The middle class found the lightweight build, affordable pricing, and ease of use appealing, and Luna quickly gained widespread recognition. Pune, already known as the bicycle capital, quickly adopte...