Rajiv Bajaj, managing director of Bajaj Auto, appears to have quietly steered the company towards producing technologically-superior products not only for better profitability, but also to increase sales volumes. Over the last few months, Bajaj has faced some very rough times with domestic sales falling to a low of 65,000 units a month. But a slew of new launches, gradual focus away from entry level bikes and smart pricing appear to have put the company back in top gear.
Bajaj Auto recently launched the new Pulsar 220 cc bike, which gives 21.04 PS of power and is priced at Rs. 70,000.Bajaj Auto claims that this is the fastest bike available on Indian roads currently with a top speed of almost 144 kmph and ARAI (Automotive Research Association of India) certified mileage of 56 kmpl. The company aims at selling 2.50-lakh units a month.
On the sidelines of launching the 2009 Pulsar 220 edition, Bajaj Auto has announced another breakthrough with the launch of the world’s most fuel efficient Engine Series. This new breakthrough technology called DTS-Si version 2.0 incorporates 5 major innovations to make it the most fuel efficient engine not only in India but also the world. Designed and developed completely by Bajaj Auto’s R&D, the technology has set new benchmarks and promises to revolutionalise the industry with world’s most fuel-efficient two-wheeler. It is slated for launch next month, followed by yet another motorcycle by the end of the year.
Each of the new launches done this year: XCD 135 cc, Pulsar 150 and 180 upgrades and now the Pulsar 220 cc of Bajaj Auto are successful because of their technological superiority and pricing. On exports, after a dip in the March quarter, export numbers of Bajaj Auto are back to 55,000 a month levels. At present, the XCD platform (125 and 135 cc) does about 20,000 units, P Latina (100 cc and 125 cc) another 45,000 units, Discover 20,000 units and the Pulsar bikes together sell another 35,000 units a month. The low-cost bike which Bajaj has developed using Chinese suppliers, is not being launched in India just yet.