The models in the lower segment have received a minimal hike while top models like the Karizma have received the highest hike in prices.

A Hero Honda official -

We have always taken a long-term view on pricing, given its strategic nature. Hence we had consciously held back price increase on most of our products despite the rising input costs and hardening commodity prices

Following this hike, will Bajaj, TVS and Yamaha follow suit?

Source – mydigitalfc.com

Even the Pulsar’s engine was derived from the Kaswasaki’s KLX series. So seeing the company’s track record and its potential, there is no doubt that it has the ability to surprise us with something new all the time.

Even though Bajaj on its own is a global player, that is not where it wants to keep it self. The tie- up between Bajaj, the Austrian motorcycle company KTM and Kawasaki, was conceived with a very different motive. That of a supreme dominance.

All the three brands have their own legacy behind them. Kawasaki has the legacy of having the largest product range, KTM having its own legacy of lust evoking bikes and Bajaj having its own legacy of its age and reliability.

So what are we looking at in the future? Well we are about to witness the birth of commonization. Yes, three brands, having their own product profiles but taking parts from a common source. Their alliance is based on the pretext of mutual benefit and the ability to share tech seamlessly between the three such as to maintain their current range of products but still be able produce components common to all three brands. Also since india has one of the most cost efficient production facilities, we might even be looking at production of all three brands under one roof.

Almost all the time, there’s something new happening with Bajaj. Be it products or promotions, they bring different things to the table. After the Pulsar Mania game recently released on Zapak, Bajaj launched a new website http://www.mypulsar.com/

The specialty of this website is that the Pulsar range of motorcycles are shown to the viewer in the form of video. It provides a virtual experience of the Pulsar series products to the customers.

You can navigate through the website through different sections which provides you information on the various Pulsar series products right from the technical specs to tutorials on stunts.

There is also a section called the Pulsar Wall where you can upload your bike images and also share the link to a You Tube video of your bike.

Overall a very attractive website, something different and provides a unique experience to the users.

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.

2011 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R Suzuka Track Test Image Gallery

Source – Visor Down

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.

Source: DNA

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

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?

Source – Wheelosphere

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.

Source – DNA

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.

Source: BikeBhp