In a recent interview, Rajiv Bajaj, Managing Director of Bajaj Auto said that the Pulsar 150 Twin Disc has outrun the relatively cheaper Pulsar 150 Classic in sales. The figures, however, does not come as a surprise as Kevin D’Sa, president (finance), Bajaj Auto had predicted in September 2018 that the company did not expect the model to be a runaway success.
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Kevin D’Sa said:
We want even the entry-level buyer to look at (owning) the Pulsar brand now. That’s why we have rolled out the Pulsar Classic at the affordable end of the brand. We are not expecting it to be a runaway success as we estimate that it will do small but critical volumes.
Speaking about the sales performance of the Bajaj’s sports category motorcycles, Rajiv Bajaj said:
In the sports segment, in the last financial year, we were clocking 60,000 vehicles a month. If you see what we have achieved in the first half (current financial year), we are actually clocking 80,000 (units) a month. Only 5,000 of that has come from the lower priced Pulsar. 15,000 (units) has actually come from a Pulsar which is priced INR 3,000 above (the Classic) – we call it the Pulsar 150 Twin Disc.
The Pulsar 150 Classic misses out on a rear disc brake and split seat setup. Mechanical specifications, on the other hand, remain unchanged. Thus, Pulsar 150 Classic continues to use the same 149.5cc, single cylinder, twin spark engine that is tuned to deliver 14 PS of maximum power and 13.4 Nm of peak torque.
Elaborating the sales strategy for the second half of the current financial year, Bajaj said:
For the second half, we are going to push further – I am quite confident of that. From 80,000/month in this segment to 90,000/month that is not a small volume gain in these market conditions, particularly in the premium segment.
How does Bajaj plan to achieve this growth target? One way is by offering a new product under the Pulsar brand. Bajaj has pulled the plug on its entry-level Pulsar 135 and hasn’t introduced a replacement. Meanwhile, the two-wheeler brand has launched the Pulsar NS125 in the Polish market. However, the motorcycle may not come to India.
In an interview in September 2018, Rajiv Bajaj said that a 125cc Pulsar would not be very attractive, as selling a bike that adheres strictly to the standards of a Pulsar at a lower cost would be a poor business proposition for the company. He also confirmed in the same interview that the new Pulsar range and Avenger series would be unveiled in 2020, which is when the new emission norms are scheduled to come into effect.
We will have to wait for further details to understand the product strategy for the Pulsar brand.
Also read: Bajaj appoints new distributor in Mexico; starts constructing a CKD facility - Report
The next new Bajaj product that is coming to the Indian market is the updated Dominar 400 that is scheduled to arrive in November 2018.
Bajaj Pulsar 150 Classic - Image Gallery
[Source: CNBC-TV18.com]
