Posts Tagged ‘Bajaj’

More Images of the 2011 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R

2011 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R Race Version

Here are some more images of the 2011 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R. The image which we revealed yesterday was the only official image of the bike released by Kawasaki until now. These new images are of the bike being tested at Japan’s Suzuka race circuit, in order for the Kawasaki engineers to prep up the bike for the assault on next season’s World Superbike Championship title.

The 2011 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R has been developed from the grounds up by Kawasaki, by starting the bike’s design with a clean sheet of paper. The bike shares nothing in common with the old Ninja ZX-10R. The new bike features all-new mechanicals such as the Chassis, Swingarm, Engine and Electronics.

Kawasaki will be banking on this bike to bring it back to the glory days when it was considered as a stiff rival to the likes of Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha. The bike will have stiff competition to contend with from home turf as well as abroad, with BMW’s S1000RR superbike currently ruling the roost. The bike will be launched internationally sometime next year and Indian enthusiasts who want one could get a taste of this machine once Bajaj alongwith Kawasaki decides to bring it in to give fight to the offerings from Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha in India.

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Entry posted on July 8th, 2010 and filed under Kawasaki

War between Indian and Chinese bike makers to rage on

indian bike companies versus chinese bike companies

Competition between Indian bike manufacturers and new foreign players is heating up in the Indian market as well as international arena.

Chinese bike manufacturers are looking to enter the lucrative Indian two-wheeler market and compete with home grown majors like Bajaj, Hero Honda and TVS. The Chinese with their extreme cost cutting strategies can offer competitive products at cut-throat prices.

Would this be a cause of concern to the Indian bike makers? Market analysts say no. They think that the Chinese manufacturers can’t give quality products and the Indian bike market, unlike the car market is quite quality sensitive and and native bike maker needn’t have worries about the advent of Chinese bike majors.

Baja Motorcycles recently got a Chinese patent for its ExhausTec technology. Also Bajaj had setup a bike manufacturing unit in China is said to be manufacturing low cost bikes with almost 100% localization. These low cost bikes have been branded ‘Boxer’ and Bajaj is selling these bikes in Africa and Latin Americas. Nigeria is one of the biggest markets in Africa for Bajaj.

Indian bike makers can’t produce low cost bikes that compromises on quality and this the reason why Chinese manufacturers who sell low quality bikes at dirt cheap prices in all developing markets overtake Indian companies and hold more than 70% market share in the low cost bikes segment all over the world.

With TVS planning exports to Latin America and Africa and Bajaj already playing in the international arena, it would be interesting to see how Indian bike manufacturers tackle their Chinese competitors in price sensitive developing markets.

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Entry posted on July 1st, 2010 and filed under Bajaj, TVS

Explained – Bajaj’s two horse race

Bajaj Pulsar 220Bajaj Discover 135

Bajaj Auto Limited (BAL) is currently running a two horse race in the Indian two-wheeler market, with its Discover and Pulsar bringing in the bulk of the sales for the company. The company recently posted its highest ever yearly sales last year, with its Discover and Pulsar brands bringing in 70% of total sales.

The Discover brand has been clearly positioned as a commuter segment offering and the Pulsar is an option for those seeking attitude, sportiness and performance. The Discover and the Pulsar have stood their ground over these years and even though there has been stiff competition offered to both the brands, they have still managed to come out unscathed.

Rajiv Bajaj, Managing Director, Bajaj Auto Limited -

Brands can be created easily by the R&D people. We have to figure out if there is a third category of buyers out there. A Pulsar buyer is sporty, young, and wants to have some fun with the bike. The Discover buyer is more sober and an economy- conscious person who wants to take a safe decision and higher mileage. If we create a brand in the absence of a target category, it could be like putting up a restaurant which serves food nobody wants to eat. I could put up a Lebanese restaurant in Pune and go bankrupt

Creation of brands is in the hands of the manufacturer but the creation of a category is in the hands of the consumer. So unless we are sure that there is a third category there, we would be making a mistake by creating that third brand

One may recall that a few years back, Bajaj was a company focusing merely on having many different products such as the XCD and the Kristal. But now it has completely changed its focus and is concentrating only on its Pulsar and Discover brands, transforming it from a company led by its products to a company led by its brands. This has resulted in a positive rub-off on the company’s sales figures, with the company registering its highest ever monthly sales figures in the month of April. The company’s market share has also risen from 19.05 % in the month of April to 20.47 % in the month of May.

The company also has plans to add another product under the Pulsar brand name in the next few months and will continue its focus in the Indian two-wheeler space with its two current brands until it feels that the market is craving for another separate brand of products.

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Entry posted on June 25th, 2010 and filed under Bajaj

Bajaj showcases modified Pulsars in Indonesia

Pulsar 135 LS Street Fighter ConceptPulsar 200 Street Fighter Concept

Bajaj Auto Limited (BAL) have showcased a couple of modified Pulsars along with their complete range of bikes at the ongoing Business Event in Indonesia, PRJ 2010. The bikes have been showcased as a brand building exercise in order to create greater awareness of the Bajaj brand amongst the Indonesian public. Bajaj showcased modified versions of its Pulsar 135 LS and the Pulsar 200 called the Pulsar 135 LS Street Fighter Concept and the Pulsar 200 Steet Fighter Concept.

The Pulsar 135 LS Street Fighter Concept uses the Pulsar 135 LS as the base and builds upon it with bodywork add-ons such as air scoops, a new exhaust, a new tail lamp cluster and a rear disc brake. The engine and other mechanicals of the bike have been left completely untouched.

The Pulsar 200 Street Fighter Concept uses the Pulsar 200 as the base and adds to it mods such as air scoops, split seats, a mid ship muffler, mono shock rear suspension, modified swingarm, rear disc brake, cover less drive chain and wider tyres fitted onto a new alloy wheel design. Like its smaller sibling the Pulsar 200 Street fighter Concept also does not feature any changes to its mechanicals.

Bajaj it seems is paying more attention to International markets than its home market of India, with showings and launches of products happening very frequently in these markets. It seems as if the International markets hold more significance for Bajaj, with the first showing of these Bajaj concepts happening in Indonesia rather than India. If Bajaj had concepts to showcase, why didn’t they showcase it at the Auto Expo?

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Entry posted on June 22nd, 2010 and filed under Bajaj

Bajaj catching up fast with Hero Honda 100cc bikes

Bajaj Discover 100

Bajaj Auto is catching up with market leader Hero Honda in terms of sales figures of the bread and butter 100 cc segment of the Indian motorcycle market. Bajaj Auto has over the past few months taken a major chunk out of Hero Honda’s market share in the 100 cc space by slashing it from 69% to 64%.

The major reason for Hero Honda slowly losing its dominance in the 100 cc space is the tremendous success of Bajaj’s Discover 100 cc motorcycle. The sales of the Discover 100 have been going through the roof ever since it was launched in August 2009.

S Sridhar, CEO, Two-Wheeler Division, Bajaj Auto Limited -

Our company’s 100cc market share rose by 6% to 23% in the October-May period, while Hero Honda’s share in the 100cc segment fell from 69% to 64%. Even in terms of profitability, Bajaj has made rapid strides. Our target is to bring down the share of entry level (lowest priced bikes) in our portfolio to 16% by the end of this fiscal against 42% in 2008-09. This will ensure better profitability.

It looks like as if Hero Honda’s downward slide in terms of sales figures in the 100 cc segment could continue over the next few months, with competition such as Bajaj Auto, TVS Motor, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India and India Yamaha Motor, all wanting in on market share of the lucrative 100 cc segment of the Indian motorcycle market.

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Entry posted on June 18th, 2010 and filed under Bajaj

Bajaj tag might be taken away from its motorcycles soon

Bajaj-Pulsar-150DTS-iSoon the Bajaj Pulsar will be called only “Pulsar”

Well this one will surprise many of us. Soon you will see Bajaj Pulsar being called only “Pulsar” and “Bajaj” tag separated from its name.

In order to create an exclusive brand for its motorcycles Bajaj Autos is going under this restructuring. This would mean that motorcycles from Bajaj will fall under four brands- Boxer, Discover, Pulsar and KTM. The rear engine 3 wheelers will have a dedicated brand of their own as well. The company will also be working on transitioning the Platina to the discover brand in the future.

The reason for this restructuring is that the Bajaj brand is linked with other products like electrical appliances and various other products and services from the group. This step has been taken to correct this problem and create a separate brand image for its motorcycles and other products.

This is another major decision from the company after taking itself away from the scooter production.

Well.. lets see if this restructuring will help Bajaj to move from the number two spot to number one and take the arch rivals Hero Honda in this competition.

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Entry posted on April 9th, 2010 and filed under Bajaj

Bajaj sells 200th Kawasaki Ninja 250R

2008-Kawasaki Ninja-250RBajaj which introduced the Kawasaki Ninja 250R in the Indian market in the month of October last year has recently sold its 200th piece in a span of 3 months.

One of the best selling bikes in the world in the 250cc range, this bike has been in talks since the time it was displayed at the 2008 Auto Expo. The most awaited bike of the year 2009 finally got launched in the month of October.

Although 200 Ninjas have come out of the Bajaj Pro-biking showrooms from across the country I my self have’nt seen a single one on the road yet!

The dreams of many bike enthusiasts were shattered when the bike was launched at a heavy price of Rs. 2,69,970(Ex-showroom Delhi). Another disappointment was the all analog meter console of the bike.

It would be a great site to see these machines on roads more in number and im sure if the other manufacturers like Yamaha, Honda or TVS bring in their 250cc bikes the competition will improve which might result in a slash of the price of such bikes.

As per the official Bajaj Auto’s press release:

What makes this motorcycle unique is its near-perfect combination of performance, riding comfort and ease of handling. As a result it is as popular among casual riders as it among serious enthusiasts. In India, in a market cluttered with overpowered litre class motorcycles, the Kawasaki Ninja 250R will be the only supersportmotorcycle whose performance is practical for Indian conditions. And with a price tag of less than Rs.3 lacs, it is well within reach of those seeking a super sport motorcycle

Bajaj showcased the Ninja 250R in 2008 Auto Expo and they launched it a year later. Lets wait and watch if they launchKTM’s Super Duke or Duke 690mm which they displayed at the 2010 Auto Expo.

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Entry posted on January 22nd, 2010 and filed under Bajaj

Two more commuter bikes from Bajaj

Bajaj Discover 135It seems that the year 2010 is going to see more of commuter bikes than the bikes from the premium segment. Yamaha has already given out a few indications regarding thier interest in launching a few commuter bikes and now Bajaj is planning to launch two new commuter bikes.

These two motorcycles will be launched either under the Discover or the Platina brand with in the next four months as confirmed by a senior official at the company.

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Entry posted on January 21st, 2010 and filed under Bajaj

Naked Pulsar 220- The wait is about to end

Bajaj Pulsar 220 NakedThe naked Bajaj Pulsar 220 looks more like a Pulsar 200 with a 220 cc engine

Looks like the wait for the naked P220 is nearing its end. Indianmotosblog has already mentioned in one of its earlier posts that a naked Bajaj P220 is around the corner and Motoroids were lucky to get some scoop pics of the bike.

The P220 naked sports the fairing of a P200, but retains the engine of the 2009 Pulsar 220. The removal of the heavy fairing will help reduce weight and thereby improve overall performance and handling of the bike.This will make the bike even more suitable for the city riding conditions.

Most of the technical aspects are expected to remain the same as the regular Pulsar 220. Swingarm, handlebars, forks, and the rear grabrails are painted black. The bike is expected to be in the market by this month end and will cost a few thousand less than the faired P220.

If you are a person who missed the P200 after its production stopped and always enjoyed the power of the P220, then this bike is surely for you. This is the best you can get for a 20+ps bike in our country as of now. But before coming to any conclusion we would have to see how this bike performs. That’s where it actually matters.

Lets see if other bike manufacturers have any answer to this move from Bajaj.

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Entry posted on January 13th, 2010 and filed under Bajaj
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