Bajaj Auto Limited, the country's second largest manufacturer of motorcycles and third-largest in the world, is gearing up towards the launch of its new 100 cc bike in the domestic two-wheeler market by January 2013. The yet-to-be launched bike from the stables of the Indian motorcycle major is anticipated to be its most advanced offering till date, besides being the most expensive product in the segment as well.
Expressing his opinion on the latest development from the company, K. Srinivas, President, Motorcycle Business, Bajaj Auto said, “We will launch the most advanced 100-cc bike which will probably be the most expensive in its category. We have to differentiate ourselves in the segment,” he further added, “Therefore, it is not going to be priced at Rs. 40,000. The price will be significantly higher.” Interestingly, Srinivas also hinted that Bajaj Auto is actually closing in the gap between itself and the current market leader Hero MotoCorp in terms of total motorcycle sales recorded in the country.
Srinivas affirmed that the company is working profusely towards expanding its production capacity at each of its three manufacturing units in the country. Citing the company's international business operations, Srinivas added, “Including both domestic and overseas sales, Hero now holds 39% of the market while we hold 35%.”
Sources close to the company have revealed that the yet-to-be launched 100 cc motorcycle will feature an entirely different guise, whereas top industry experts believe that the new bike will be based on the current Discover model.
Reportedly, the current top-selling product from Baja Auto, the Discover bike notched up sales of some 1,22,968 units in August 2012 as compared to the Hero MotoCorp's Splendor, which could manage total sales of 1,21,018 units in the same period. Thus, Bajaj Auto Limited snatched the title of 'largest selling motorcycle in the world' from Splendor, which has commanded the domestic bike segment, since the past decade.
Highlighting the company's overwhelming sales figures for the month of August 2012, Srinivas said, “We were ahead for a month, but we believe we can sustain this momentum when the export of the newly launched Discover 125cc starts soon.”
At present, Bajaj Auto markets three variants under the Discover namesake, comprising 100 cc, 125 cc and 150 cc models, in the Indian bike market. Evidently, the company sold around 35,000 units of the brand new 125 cc version of Discover and aspires to sell close to 45,000 and 50,000 units of the same model in October and November, respectively.
