Dark horse Ather is the real challenger to India’s legacy two-wheeler makers in 2026
Sitting in the conference room of his office in Bengaluru, Ather co-founder and chief Tarun Mehta is amused at a question on how life has changed since the company went public. The bespectacled 36-year-old says he is frequently asked this, nearly everywhere he goes.“I'm getting a bit of a fomo (fear of missing out) right now. There's something I'm missing about what should have changed.
I almost feel obliged to say that something has changed, but I can't, hand on heart, say what's changed,” Mehta says with a smile.“For me, personally, not much,” he told Mint in an hour-long chat at Ather’s headquarters in the tech capital of the country.Yet, the image of his company in the eyes of investors, the public, and the media has undoubtedly changed. Known as the slow-and-steady manufacturing startup, pitted against the juggernaut of Bhavish Aggarwal, many wondered whether Ather would ever step out of Ola Electric Ltd's shadow.Those doubts were laid to rest this year. In the July to September quarter of 2025, Ather crossed Ola Electric in total market capitalisation, total sales (over 65,000 versus 52,000 for Ola), and revenue ( ₹899 crore versus Ola’s ₹690 crore).Investors have shown faith.
Since going public in May, the company’s shares have more than doubled, up 120%, compared with a 23% rise in the Nifty Auto index.Mehta attributes all this to fundamental business principles.“I'm not going to give you a big revelation here. It's a pretty obvious answer, Business 101. You double down on your strengths.
Read on livemint.com