Bike RPM

Bajaj Bikes To Become Independent Brands

Bajaj India is planing a restructuring exercise which will see independent brands from the 2-wheeler manufacturer. The company will distance itself from the parent brand and focus on just four motorcycle brands – Boxer, Discover, Pulsar and KTM, as well as the rear-engine three-wheeler brand, phasing out the rest. Bajaj has already stopped making bikes such as the XCD 125 and 135, Wind and Caliber. Others like the CT100 will be made for some export markets, but these models will migrate to the Boxer brand vertical in a year. The company has no plans to wind down the entry-level Platina, but there will be no more investments. The new strategy will also help Bajaj stand out from arch rival Hero Honda.

“The Bajaj brand is very diffused, covering everything from heaters and hair oil to insurance and financial services. Correcting that problem is the biggest opportunity for the company,” said Mr Bajaj. “We have to be clear about what our brand stands for. A sporty Pulsar and the humble auto rickshaw are as different as chalk and cheese,” he added.

[Via: Motorbeam]

Tags: autos, bajaj india, bikes, discover, platina, pulsar, xcd

Bajaj to stop making scooters, will focus on motorcycles only

Bajaj India , which once ruled the scooters segment in India with its Super and Chetak models, is now all set to exit the scooters segment completely. Bajaj, which once used to have a waiting period of five years and more for its scooters, now wants to focus exclusively on motorcycles. ‘If we are to be a motorcycle specialist, we cannot make scooters,’ says Rajiv Bajaj, MD, Bajaj Auto. ‘One day, God willing, we will be the largest motorcycle company in the world. If we have to be a motorcycle specialist, we have to sacrifice our scooters business,’ he added.

Bajaj currently produces only one scooter – the Kristal – about 1,000 units of which are made every month. This scooter, like all other Bajaj scooters launched over the last 10 years, hasn’t been doing well and failed to take on popular scooters from Honda, Suzuki and TVS. Incidentally, Bajaj’s partners – KTM and Kawasaki – also do not produce any scooters. On the other hand, other Japanese companies like Yamaha, Suzuki and Honda continue to produce scooters on a very big scale.

[Via: indiaautomotive]

Tags: bajaj india, bikes, kristal, phased out, scooters, xcd

Bajaj XCD 125 Has Been Discontinued

It is farewell time for the Bajaj XCD 125 , the executive commuter bike that was launched way back in September 2007. This is the second bike that the Pune-based manufacturer has phased out in the last three months, the first being the Pulsar 200 DTS-i.

The reason behind this move was to make way for the slightly bigger and more powerful XCD 135 which was launched way back in February this year. Bajaj decided to pull the plug on the smaller model when its sales dipped below 20000 units a month as compared to the 50000 units expected of it by the company. In contrast, the XCD 135 sold 10,000 units in the first two weeks after its launch.

Commenting on this move, a Mumbai-based analyst stated “Bajaj had launched too many models in the market without many differentiating factors between the bikes. The company always had the option to lower or even completely stop the production of one bike and increase the other, depending on the demand”. The company is now planning to concentrate only on the Discover and Pulsar brand in the entry to premium segment while containing the Platina and Avenger within these core groups.

[Via: BIKE Magazine]

Tags: 125, been, bike, bjaja, decline, discontinued, has, in, india, indian, market, motorbike, motorcycle, sales, xcd