From what it looks like, the legacy of Bajaj Discover series is going to reach another level as the company is set to launch the 150 cc version of one of the most popular bikes in the market. According to a report by Business Line, Bajaj Discover F150 is likely to enter showrooms by the end of this month.
Bajaj Auto is one of the most popular automakers in the country but has fallen behind in terms of market share due to limited success in the scooter segment, where Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India have triumphed. Many analysts are of the opinion that when the Bajaj Discover F150 will be launched, it would be the only semi-faired commuter bike in the Indian bike market.
Sources claim that the management at Bajaj Auto firmly believes in the potential of the model despite around 80 per cent of the market being covered by 100 cc bikes. In fact, Ravi Bajaj, spoke about something known as a ‘mindshare’, which, if created, will automatically help the model create market share. He said that the mindshare should be around twice as much as the market share. “Mindshare must come first and market share will follow, today, the new Discover 100 and 125 are averaging about 70,000 units per month. This means that my mindshare has to be twice as strong,” he claimed.
Bajaj did not say whether Discover F150 will be able to create that mindspace but was clear about what he needs to do. “My task is to have a strong new product and the Discover 150 will hopefully do the trick in establishing a strong customer contact,” he said. The Indian firm faces a huge challenge with respect to attracting buyers, since 80 per cent of the market is covered by 100 cc bike purchasing customers. This, automatically, means that Bajaj Auto needs to focus on the remaining 20 per cent.
Stating the criticality of gaining early buyers who would go ahead and purchase something different, he said, “Experience tells me that the early adopters are critical and I need to look for those guys who want to be different. In this universe of six lakh commuter bikes each month, even five per cent (of early adopters) mean 30,000 units each month.”
Bajaj Discover F150 is going to be a really important bike for the firm and its position in the market. The management believes that it would take a time period of around 3 to 4 months to evaluate the buying patterns of Bajaj Discover F150 and how it will eventually pan out in the Indian market. Should the first six months show healthy progress, there would be no stopping Bajaj Discover F150. However, if past experience is anything to go buy, the only thing that is certain when talking about the Indian market is its uncertainty, which can surprise even the best of brands, irrespective of their pedigree and reputation.
