Indian Motos Blog » Bajaj Pulsar

KTM arrives in India by year-end

Shrawan Raja — Tue, 03 May 2011 20:24:37 +0000

The sports segment of the Indian motorcycle market fascinates Bajaj Auto, its president admitted to Financial Express newspaper. He said the KTM brand will be introduced in India by the year-end. The engine displacement on the Indian variant is understood to be 200cc. Bajaj holds roughly 50% market share in the sports segment with the growth-driving Pulsar brand offered with 135, 150, 180 and 220cc displacement. It will not stop offering motorcycles in the sports segment. Indian Motos Blog reported in March that Bajaj is coordinating with KTM to jointly develop platforms for both companies. We expect the next generation Pulsar and a smaller KTM motorcycle to share a common platform. KTM says it is working on engines displacing up to 350cc for emerging markets, especially Asia, though no launch time-frame was divulged. These engines could be developed with Bajaj' help as low cost sports bikes have tremendous potential in Asian countries. It's not like Bajaj is performing poorly in other segments. The Discover brand has been equally, if not more successful in garnering marketshare in the more important commuter segment. After the introduction of the 100cc Discover, it is giving Hero Honda Splendor a tough fight for the best selling motorcycle in India, and perhaps the world. Bajaj expects to capture 30% of the total Indian motorcycle market by the end of this year with its Pulsar and Discover bikes. Source - MyDigitalFC.com

Next gen Bajaj Pulsar on new platform by Dec 2011

Shrawan Raja — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 14:31:22 +0000

On the sidelines of the Discover 125cc launch, MD of Bajaj Auto Rajiv Bajaj reiterated that the next generation Pulsars on all-new platforms will arrive by the end of 2011. Rajiv Bajaj said the response for the newly launched 250cc Honda CBR motorcycle had taken them by surprise and their new Pulsars will be ready to take it head on. Bajaj could introduce Pulsars displacing up to 400cc. What we could see first could be something around the 250cc capacity with four valves and liquid cooling, mono-shock rear suspension, dual disc brakes, etc.

We already reported that Bajaj and KTM are jointly developing platforms that will cater to both companies' needs. We might not be surprised to see KTM engines on higher displacement Pulsars next year. Note - Display image not connected with the story and purely is for representative purpose.

KTM and Bajaj working on common motorcycle platforms

Shrawan Raja — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 10:12:15 +0000

KTM and Bajaj are working on a common platform that will underpin the latter's Pulsar motorcycle, Bajaj Auto' MD Rajiv Bajaj said in a recent interview. The reason for the operation is simple - economies of scale. The cost structure will be simplified and improved while the end user also benefits from it. The joint development of both companies is a low capacity KTM Duke motorcycle scheduled for series production in April 2011 at Chakan.

Bajaj hopes to penetrate new markets dominated by Japanese companies like Australia, Brazil, Thailand and Malaysia using KTM's assistance. This could be either providing its Pulsar and Discover bikes an established dealer network or develop or tweak motorcycles with KTM's market know-how in some of these countries. Where KTM is not present, Kawasaki will do the job in those countries. For example in Philippines Bajaj motorcycles is distributed by Kawasaki. Source - Moneycontrol.com

Discover and Pulsar brands work wonders for Bajaj

Shrawan Raja — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 04:52:13 +0000

And from the ashes rises the phoenix, that's the very phrase that comes to picture when we think about Bajaj's comeback into the Indian two-wheeler market. Once led to axe their company's most popular product (Chetak), Bajaj now has reclaimed the lost ground by its formidable strategy of "less is more." Hero Honda played a key role in strangling the scooter industry in India and Bajaj was the worst hit. They decided to discontinue their products which they knew would not survive the competition such as their line of scooters, mopeds and a few dated motorcycles. They decided to lay more emphasis on their trump cards which were Pulsar and the Discover. After long discontinuation of the Caliber series, Bajaj re-entered the 100cc segment with their all new discover 100cc variant in July last year. A similar move was seen towards the Pulsar series with the launch of the Pulsar 135. The particular move confusing to many were actually cards well played by Bajaj. Their positioning done to widen the scope of select their existing products by not only taking them to the smaller towns, but by making their premium segment accessible to masses with a slightly lower buying capacity was bold.

The brilliant move immediately bore results. In no more than 14 months Bajaj saw a 5.3% growth in market share from their earlier 13.7%, thanks to the new discover 100 DTS-Si. Also the Pulsar 135 , already sold 100,000 units has given a huge boost to their target of reaching one million units under the pulsar brand by march next year. The strategy above clearly indicated that Bajaj is keen in developing products under their own trusted names rather than new products. This in-turn lowers their investment on product promotion and also strengthens the product image. Figures speaking for itself, Bajaj has seen the Pulsar and Discover bring back its market share to 35% over the last 15 months averaging combined volume of 2.3 Lac units a month.

Chances of Bajaj launching still more variants within the same brand names looks strong and that too they foresee up-to a monthly sales of 200,000 units of discover alone. The facts all point to the fact that a good businessman does not solely rely on his product alone but how the way he projects it and bajaj has indeed proven that they are strong at their business!

Bajaj to sell Pulsar in Europe through KTM dealers

Shrawan Raja — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 09:58:23 +0000

DNA Money is reporting that Bajaj Auto will sell its Pulsar range of motorcycles in Europe through KTM brand outlets. Bajaj, which owns a major stake in the Austrian auto company, will utilize its stores in other parts of the world to sell its Pulsar range, it was reported. Bajaj Auto is currently working on introducing the Pulsar 135cc in the Indonesian market. Bajaj anticipates to sell 35,000 units of the Pulsar 135LS in Indonesia every month. The Indonesian subsidiary is a loss making one, and by 2012 it hopes to break even. Source - DNA Money

Bajaj launches revised Pulsar 135LS

Naveen — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 07:55:23 +0000

The Bajaj Pulsar 135LS is a huge success and has sold more than one lakh units within a month of its launch. Now Bajaj has launched a revised version of the Pulsar 135LS with a few changes. The new Bajaj Pulsar 135LS gets a new O-ring chain which has rubber O-rings lining the rollers which prevent dust and dirt particles from entering the chain rollers and also maintain lubrication for longer periods. This facilitates for the full chain cover being replaced by a half chain cover. The main visual change is that the new Bajaj Pulsar 135 LS gets a fully matt-black finished engine. The tyre hugging mud guard on the rear wheel is replaced by a new split mud guard which is smaller and looks sporty. All these additions add to the already mean looking Pulsar 135LS's raw appeal.

New revised Bajaj Pulsar 135LS gallery -

Source: Motoroids

Video – Bajaj Pulsar Ad from Peru

Shrawan Raja — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 07:16:35 +0000

What you see here is the Bajaj Pulsar Ad for the Peruvian market. The Ad was put on air last year and has all the ingredients and touches of a typical Bajaj motorcycle ad.

Bajaj aims to sell 1,200 bikes during Jakarta fair

Sachet Parkash — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 09:55:42 +0000

The Indonesian arm of Bajaj Auto Limited, PT Bajaj Auto Indonesia (BAI), is targeting sales of 1,200 bikes during the ongoing Jakarta fair in Indonesia. The company has set this target after gauging the response of the public towards its products at the fair. The company has already managed to sell 30 % of its total target of 1,200 units. The theme of the company's stall at this year's fair is 'Light Sport'' and the company has on display products from the Pulsar range of bikes like the Pulsar 135 LS, Pulsar 180 and the Pulsar 200. The company also has on display a couple of modified Pulsars modified by modification house Phoenix as the centre of attraction of its stall at the fair. The company is using the fair as a platform to showcase future products, launch new products and to boost product sales in the Indonesian market. The company is going all-out and wants to leave no stone unturned in order to leapfrog the competition and move ahead. It looks like as if Bajaj is not content with growth in the Indian market alone and wants to grow and expand deeper into export markets. If the company continues with these sort of steps to increase its visibility and create an awareness about its products in foreign markets, it can definitely look forward to growth in sales figures in foreign markets as well. Source - JPNN

Explained – Bajaj’s two horse race

Sachet Parkash — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 12:21:24 +0000

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. Source - Business Standard