Re: Bajaj Twinner name trademarked for a possible 2-cylinder model Bajaj exports almost 50% of all their bikes produced in India under the Bajaj line. Although licensing agreements have been a huge turnaround for Bajaj, I believe the company does not want to stray far off course of their main line ups else they may get known for only facilitating New entrants, and there is always a risk of exit or eventual manufacturing for these outside firms. KTM, Husqvarna and upcoming Triumph partnerships are going to go great, no doubt but I think Bajaj's long game here if all about technology transfer, in an informal way, if at all. They did this in the Dominar 400, with a retuned engine of the Duke 390. Their new 250 CC engines seen in the new Pulsars 250 are completely inhouse developed. However, I would not be surprised if Bajaj used what they learned from manufacturing the KTM 250 CC engines.
I think, the same is applicable here in the 500 CC engine. The long dream of distancing themselves from the household brand name (where margins are almost recovered post sales now), the real market is the Top end or Enthusiast bikes, that is why you don't see Bajaj branding on the Dominar. It was the 1st in the segment. I believe Bajaj had consulted with a reputed Marketing firm to launch the Dominar. I forget the name, however they are in the leagues of Ogilvy.
The Dominar was also pitted against RE. A bold and risky move, however there are no offerings to compete with Continental. Bajaj has only the 373 CC Dominar vs the entire RE lineup. A war which they called for in their own marketing.
Also, in the South East Asian countries, Dominar is seen as an entry level Tourer. Since they have some fantastic roads, the pull is more towards, 500 CC and above. In the VFM segment, Bajaj can rule. It always has. The legacy of Pulsars and the fan following for the Dominar are testament.
If there is a twin cylinder in the making, I think Bajaj would more likely put it out under the Dominar lineup, as it is their Flagship bike. Plus Pulsar branding is not suitable for the 500 CC tag. It's tough in my opinion to consider a 500 CC pulsar. It either has to be a new lineup (Scrambler of sorts, competing vs Continental)
Or a decked our version of the Dominar could be in the making. 2024-25 would be my optimistic bet. Pricing around 3.0L would be sweet, however I feel Bajaj will go for a premium this time and squeeze 20k at least. I remember Dominar prices were dropped due to similar pricing mishaps where initially it was priced in with a premium.
However, not all Registered names ever see the light of day and Bajaj also has to consider the investments in the EV line. We can also see its registered under all categories, which muddies the waters a bit for speculators like me.
One can only cross their fingers and hope for a something exciting to happen. |