What is a scooter?
Any motorised two-wheeler (both geared and gearless) with a step-through frame and a floorboard to rest the feet is called a scooter.
It is worth noting that a highly popular two-wheeled children’s toy with a long steering handle is also called a scooter. Therefore, during a Google search for the term “scooter,” results may show images of a toy instead of a motorised two-wheeler.
What is a scooty?
The term “scooty” has become synonymous with gearless scooter in India. Although the term is widely used in India to describe a gearless scooter, it is not an actual two-wheeler segment, but a product called the “Scooty Pep” by TVS. Although gearless scooters have been in the market for a long time, it was TVS who made this segment highly popular in India by launching the “Scooty Pep,” a lightweight and affordable gearless scooter, in 2005. Reportedly, since its launch, TVS has sold millions of units of the Scooty Pep. However, it no longer appears to be on sale in the product lineup of TVS.
Ever since its launch, the term “scooty” has become so common in India that the correct terms, i.e., either a “scooter” or a “gearless scooter,” have become unknown among the majority of the population. This is a case similar to some of the other products in the world whose popularity turned their names synonymous with the original product type or segment. Examples of such cases are “Xerox” for photocopiers, “Surf” for detergents, “Colgate” for toothpastes, “Cellotape” for transparent tapes, and so on.
Image Source: www.bikedekho.com
