[sarmarishi]

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Have highlighted things of interest

The head of two-wheeler giant Bajaj Auto is staking all on a rugged rural bike, a 600-cc super bike for export and a more elegant and comfortable auto rickshaw

Ask Rajiv Bajaj what is keeping him busy nowadays and he will talk of his three pet projects. The managing director of two-wheeler giant Bajaj Auto Ltd (BAL) has recently thrown down a challenge to his research and development unit, to build a “Bharat Bike” with a 150-cc engine, which will cost Rs 40,000 and run on rugged rural roads. Bajaj is currently king in the 150-cc bike segment, but the bike costs over Rs 50,000 (Discover), while the popular Pulsar is available for Rs 60,000.

“What I want is a tractor on a two-wheeler that can take two or three riders and the extra load of products on it, or simply a 150-cc bike at the cost of a 100-cc one,” says Bajaj, elaborating on his strategy.

[HammerHead]

Second last para talks about 'new scooter', does he mean a new 3 wheeler? Kind of confusing!!
I don't understand why they are not competing in ever growing gear less scooter segment. Lack of expertise or is it lack of confidence?

[arvi86]

Originally Posted by HammerHead

Second last para talks about 'new scooter', does he mean a new 3 wheeler? Kind of confusing!!
I don't understand why they are not competing in ever growing gear less scooter segment. Lack of expertise or is it lack of confidence?

I would say its just lack of confidence after the huge failure of Kristal. IMO, that was a good product and did not deserve to fare so badly in sales.

That apart, Bajaj's strategies are so diversed and in a way confusing for me. They were going great in 100-110 cc bikes (Caliber 115, CT 100) when they decided to call it quits and concentrate on higher segments. They launch and discontinue models in a jiffy leaving the customers shortchanged and unhappy. The XCD was such a big promise last year but now we know where it went. Then came the decision to pull out the Bajaj name from its bikes and position themselves as individual brands.

Whatever it is, as long as it sells and the company is making good volumes and profits, it is all good.

[ku69rd]

My take on this topic
Bajaj are maturing in the 2 wheeler segment really well. Are they blooming at the right time? remains a question. If i recollect appropriately they were the first guys to separate from technology partners (kawasaki) and raise to the occasion with launch of Pulsar Marque of motorcycles (yes they did make some help from kawasaki R&D but that's a different story). Steady roll out of upgrades made them a force to reckon with, many purists/technologists might disagree that pulsars are not quite there in terms of technical prowess. But the fact is, it got the company money with which they smartly invested in other brands (KTM) and going by this blog post, it looks they have plans which are practical. End of the day would say they managed themselves pretty well.
Regarding Hero Honda, well they might have the numbers but if you were to ask me they are at the beginning of the curve which Bajaj were a few years ago. How would they cope up to improve/substantiate in the current segment would be worthwhile watching. Do they get a product that will do them a yeoman service needs to be watched out cause Honda are also in the market with similar products. Probably the Honda's reach/network is limited at this moment but it might be a matter of time before they convert a few Hero Honda dealers into their fold.
A humble beginning from a scooter manufacturer to own KTM (legendary brand name) is quite noteworthy. Am proud of Bajaj as a company that has been managed well but not a big fan of their products Never owned a Bajaj in my 15 years of motorcycling.