[TusharK]

Thanks to Bhavesh for sending these images in. Heartfelt gratitude for sharing them with other enthusiasts via this Team-BHP page!

Test mules of what appear to be the Bajaj Urbanite scooter have been spotted testing in Pune.



The test mules have twin slanting tail lamps and a grab handle. The design of the tail lamp clusters is similar to those seen in the leaked images that had surfaced online back in February 2019. Besides that, the scooter appears to have a foldable rear footrest.



According to the leaked images, the Bajaj Urbanite is likely to get alloy wheels with a single-sided front suspension. The details about the engine that will power this scooter are unknown, however it is likely to get a continuously variable transmission (CVT).

Reports suggest that the Bajaj Urbanite might be launched during the 2019 festive season.

Link to Team-BHP News

[condor]

While I wish them success with this, it looks like another case of mis-judgement by Bajaj. The Scooter market is already captured by the other players. Electric may have been the better bet for an entry now.

[mayanksabharwal]

Are you sure it is Urbanite? As far as I have read, Urbanite is going to be all electric brand. The scooters spied here, do not look like electric scooters. They have exhaust system.

[Motard_Blr]

Originally Posted by condor

While I wish them success with this, it looks like another case of mis-judgement by Bajaj. The Scooter market is already captured by the other players. Electric may have been the better bet for an entry now.

In such a large market the is always space for more players and products. A healthy increase in competition is always welcome since that will mean more choice, better performance and features.

However, the timing of Bajaj is not great. Sales of scooters are falling month on month and it's going to be tough for them to market a Bajaj scooter after their pathetic performance in the past (Safire).

[Sebring]

I feel that there is a good market for a non-Activa. Hero Destini is very close, but the lack of sales and service infra is hitting it hard. Bajaj was synonymous with scooters and should never have exited, but anyways, hope they make a strong come back!

[mayanksabharwal]

More photos and video emerge. This one looks electric, as it does not have any exhaust system.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdguMgJINEc

Source

[hemanth.anand]

Originally Posted by mayanksabharwal

Are you sure it is Urbanite? As far as I have read, Urbanite is going to be all electric brand. The scooters spied here, do not look like electric scooters. They have exhaust system.

I remember reading somewhere that Bajaj will also make Both Electric and ICE scooters under the Urbanite umbrella. This ICE here is most probably the Chetak 2019.

[rajushank84]

Would be nice if Bajaj go the Vespa route and do a retro-styled but modern scooter. A "Chetak".

We need more good-looking scooters. Too many Activa lookalikes. Before Activa, the scooter scene was interesting. We had things like M80, Sunny, Scooty, Kinetic Honda, Chetak offering distinct looks. Now they are all uninteresting clones of each other.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by rajushank84

Would be nice if Bajaj go the Vespa route and do a retro-styled but modern scooter. A "Chetak".

Chetak was a licensed Vespa. Now, without the license - won't it be labelled as a copy instead?

Moreover - the scooter template for the masses have moved on since then and Bajaj probably would want to invite more comparisons with the Activa rather than a Vespa.

[audioholic]

Bajaj was never successful in the scooter market after the Chetak. They made Sapphire and Wave which at their times were very worthy alternatives to the Activa. But poor aftersales, poor part quality and initial niggles killed both these products. For the record, my dad brought a Bajaj Wave home since at that time, it was 10cc more than Activa, with technologies like DTSi, Exhaust Torque expansion chamber and so on which were impressive on paper. But the scooter hardly sold, and finding parts was a big pain and the plastics started cracking within a few years of use. Later, I brought the Dio home and can totally understand why Bajaj was not so successful.

After all that, and in the time of scooters going electric, they are eyeing on the petrol scooter market, which seems like a dead on arrival strategy to me. Though they might have plans to go electric later, its better they start with that instead of launching a petrol scooter and then trying to make an electric version of the same.

In this matter, I totally concur with Ather when they say that the scooter was built to be electric, rather than a conventional petrol scooter being modified to make electric. Makes quite some differences to the end product.

[wheelguy]

Bajaj Urbanite launch likely on October 16.

Bajaj Auto is expected to launch the Urbanite brand on October 16, 2019, its new niche brand within the company, at an event. Along with this, the bike maker could also reveal the first full-electric scooter under this brand. The event will be attended by Minister of Road and Transport, Nitin Gadkari and the CEO of Niti Aayog, Amitabh Kant, further adding to the speculation that the bike maker will announce its products and plans for sustainable mobility.

We’ve long speculated that Bajaj is busy working on the premium electric scooter that's been seen testing a number of times. Back in 2017, MD of Bajaj Auto, Rajiv Bajaj revealed that the company was aiming to do a Tesla in the two-wheeler space and we expect the scooter to feature premium build and features. When he stated that Urbanite was in the works, he also added that they did not want to enter the scooter segment with a product similar to other two-wheelers in the country. This could possibly lead to Bajaj launching an electric scooter somewhere on the lines of the other premium electric scooter in India, the Ather 450.

If what we’ve speculated is correct, and if Bajaj launches the Urbanite e-scooter on October 16, it will go rival the all-electric two-wheelers from Ather, Okinawa and 22 Motors.

More at: Source

[sri_tesla]

Excited for this launch. I hope it has performance and range matching or exceeding the Ather 450. With Bajaj's extensive reach they can easily sell thousands of units each month even if pricing is similar to 450. Ather being a startup, not able to expand quickly and still limited to 2 cities after an year of launch in Bangalore and expected to be in only in 30 cities by 2023.

Hopefully they are not releasing another Hero Electric competitors to the market.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

The first vehicle under the Urbanite lineup could revive Chetak branding.

Rushlane reports that it could be called Bajaj Chetak Chic electric, with a tagline of 'Hamara Kal'.

https://www.rushlane.com/bajaj-cheta...-12326427.html

[hemanth.anand]

Chetak Chic
Hmmm, not sure if I like this name. But the proof will be in the Pudding…Let’s see in 5 more days. Can’t stop humming the song Hamara Kal, Hamasar Aaj, Buland bharat ki buland tasveeeeer

Some rumours say that Urbanite will be designed to house both petrol and electric Powertrains. If that is true, it may not work in favour of the Chetak Chic. With the many EV contraptions and the Ather, it's clear that an "adaptation" and "designed to be built" as an EV give completely different.

Eagerly waiting for 16.10.2019 and hoping that Ather gets some real competition. Because competition is good.

[JayD]

Bajaj should really learn to let go of the past and embrace the future. The Chetak name is long dead and the current scooter buying mass has very little or no connect with that name. The Chetak was the mule replacement in most homes, and did the job of a Scooter, bike, donkey, pick up truck and more, which made it a very loved family member in every household.

An electric scooter is nothing like that , and the target audience is very different. What confuses me even more is the 'Chetak Chic' name. Somehow i feel that name wont appeal to the youth or to the older generation.


Name aside- I am pretty excited about this vehicle/Urbanite brand. Hope they make a grounds up electric scooter like the Ather, and not one of those petrol to Electric contraptions.