Bajaj Auto plans to launch 6 models in 6 months

At one time, Bajaj Auto was among the strongest players in the domestic two-wheeler market, which was led by Hero MotoCorp. However, over the years, the Pune-based manufacturer has slipped down the charts. It is now lying in fourth place, with Honda and TVS moving to occupy the second and third places respectively. In the period April - December 2014, Bajaj, with sales of 13,91,341 units, did better than Honda (13,27,862 units), but lagged way behind Hero (43,40,986 units). Its sales also dropped by 13.33% compared to the April - December 2013 period, when it managed to sell 16,05,308 units. In an attempt to regain some of the lost ground, Bajaj is now planning a product offensive in the country. It has announced that it plans to introduce six models over the next six months.

Among the products likely to be launched is a 100 cc motorcycle. Last year, Bajaj had stated that it would move its focus away from this high-volume segment, since it did not view it to be too profitable. While Bajaj already has the Platina and Discover in the 100 cc category, it plans to bring in a new bike under a different brand name. The company claims that the new offering will create its own space.

Bajaj will also launch a 400 cc motorcycle under the Pulsar brand name. This could be the production version of the CS400 naked bike or the faired SS400, which were displayed at the 2014 Auto Expo.

Some of the other bikes that could be launched include a new Pulsar 150NS (or 160NS), Pulsar 200SS and reworked versions of the Platina and Discover, which have been spotted testing on various occasions.

With these new launches, the company is aiming to increase its market share from the 16-17% that it controls at present, to more than 20% by the end of March 2015.

Source: ET Auto