Bajaj Auto has said that it is ready for the four wheeler launch, \u201cwith or without\u201d the partnership getting formalized, says Chairman Rahul Bajaj. Presently Bajaj Auto, Renault SA and Nissan have a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between them, without any formal agreement. \u201cWith them or without them (Renault and Nissan), we are going ahead with the four-wheeler project. The JV is still not signed but a feasibility study is on.\u201d Report from Bajaj.\u00a0 The proposed JV is exploring joint development of economical cars and then taking it forward to a light commercial vehicle (LCV) platform. The engine for both the economical car and the LCV is expected to be similar.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything (for proposed JV) is absolutely on track and all our various teams are working 24×7 on the ULC (ultra low-cost) project\u201d. As per the MoU, Bajaj is expected to provide the manufacturing and marketing muscle to the ULC car while the Renault-Nissan combine claims to have already frozen the car\u2019s design. For the power train engine, transmission and gearbox, all the three partners will work jointly. According to the MoU, which was signed a few months back, in the proposed JV Bajaj is expected to hold majority stake and at the same time Renault and Nissan would hold 25% each. Bajaj may be forced to choose its own way in the LCV domain as well.<\/p>\n
A proposed task has been\u00a0 started working on a four-wheeler LCV product, to get on Tata Ace and Mahindra Geep Maxi Truck in the one-tone range and may look at launching in the next 12-18 months. As of now, a three-way partnership for LCVs also seems to be uncertain since Nissan already have a JV for LCVs with Ashok Leyland and would need a \u2018No Objection\u2019 certificate from Leyland before it can sign another LCV partnership with any other Indian company.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Bajaj Auto has said that it is ready for the four wheeler launch, \u201cwith or without\u201d the partnership getting formalized, says Chairman Rahul Bajaj. Presently Bajaj Auto, Renault SA and Nissan have a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between them, without any formal agreement. \u201cWith them or without them (Renault and Nissan), we are going ahead … <\/p>\n