Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal Strongly Condemns Leak of Confidential Images of Upcoming EV by Journalist
Ola Electric’s CEO, Bhavish Aggarwal, expressed strong disapproval on Monday towards an unidentified automotive journalist. Aggarwal further called for an apology in response to the unauthorized dissemination of confidential images depicting their upcoming scooters. The leak occurred prior to the scheduled official product launch.
Ola Electric is poised to unveil a cost-effective electric scooter on the 15th of August. Numerous media platforms have already covered this impending release, and the company itself had previously alluded to it a few days ago. In a bid to provide insight into their forthcoming product, Ola even orchestrated an exclusive preview session for the press, preceding the official launch slated for the upcoming week.
Nevertheless, at the event, an anonymous journalist purportedly disclosed confidential images of the upcoming electric vehicle (EV) prior to the company’s sanctioned unveiling. This occurrence provoked a strong reaction from Mr. Aggarwal, who utilized Twitter as a platform to convey his exasperation and disillusionment.
The images in question were integral to an automotive media event that we conducted today, and the content from this event was explicitly under embargo and held in strict confidentiality. It is truly regrettable that certain members of the automotive media compromise their own credibility by surreptitiously capturing photographs during a classified event. Such actions erode the trust that our brand has invested in them, he expressed emphatically in a fervent tweet.
Moreover, the co-founder of Ola iterated that such conduct is unequivocally unacceptable. Our team exerts considerable effort to craft exceptional products and engaging events for our esteemed clientele, with the aim of providing them with unparalleled satisfaction. Instances of this nature find no room within a mature and responsible ecosystem, he articulated.
Mr. Aggarwal unequivocally called for an apology from the journalist involved and concurrently issued a cautionary message. He conveyed that, going forward, the company might reconsider the practice of affording the media a prior glimpse of their products before the customers, if such incidents persist.
Unless the responsible party is identified and an apology is issued (though the likelihood of this is minimal), we will discontinue the practice of granting auto journalists an advanced preview of our products before their official launch. Moving forward, our products will be unveiled to the media only subsequent to their presentation to customers during launch events, he added.
Comment on this situation: While Ola has not divulged specific particulars regarding the rumored upcoming S1X model, reports indicate an anticipated price below ₹1 lakh. Allegedly capable of covering a distance of 100 km on a single charge, this e-scooter’s attributes are under scrutiny. Presently, Ola’s electric scooter range comprises the S1 Pro, S1, and S1 Air models.
