Bajaj Auto, the fourth largest two-wheeler and three-wheeler manufacturer in the world, is all set to launch its low priced car at the upcoming Delhi Auto Show that will kickstart on 5th January 2012. The concept model of the car was previously showcased at the 2008 Delhi Auto Expo. Bajaj Auto is determined to give fierce competition to Tata Motors, which gained instant success by introducing Nano, with this vehicle.
The small car by Bajaj Auto will be brought in collaboration with Nissan Motors and Renault. In comparison to Tata Nano’s fuel efficiency of 25 kmpl, Bajaj car is expected to give higher fuel efficiency of 30 kmpl. Regarding engine capacity too, Bajaj Auto has an advantage over its rival Nano as the former is equipped with an 800 cc engine in contrast to latter’s 624 cc engine.
Though details of the car have not been revealed, the model is a five-seater like Nano, but will be more spacious. As soon as the small car by Bajaj launches, it is expected to entice customers who were thinking about purchasing the Nano, world’s cheapest car.
As per the agreement signed by Bajaj Auto, Nissan and Renault, Bajaj would be the developer as well as manufacturer while the other two companies will take the responsibilities of marketing and promoting the new model. Initially, there were rumours that Renault was not approving the model manufactured by Bajaj, but the plan moved on to next phase after some negotiations.
In a recent statement, a Bajaj Auto executive commented "The car's model is already complete. However, the company has got the final nod from its other partners, Nissan and Renault, which have approved the design. Earlier the car was supposed to be cheaper than Nano. However, other partners (Renault-Nissan) said that there should be no compromise on quality even if it means pricing it higher.”
Adding further, company executives said that low pricing is not the only factor that attracts customers. Value for money matters the most and, thus, Bajaj Auto will look forward to avoid the blunders that were committed by its competitor in order to entice maximum buyers. Though pricing of the yet-to-be-launched car has not been revealed, the new small car by Bajaj Auto will be priced slightly higher than Tata Nano as per sources. Apart from Tata Nano, Bajaj Auto would be looking forward to lock horns with Hyundai Eon, Maruti Suzuki Alto and other models in small car segment.
