Bajaj Auto launches Pulsar

By Our Special Correspondent

MUMBAI, NOV. 23. Bajaj Auto today launched its latest offering in the premium bike segment `Pulsar', the street sports bike, here.

``Its the most powerful sub-250cc bike on the Indian roads," said Mr. Rajiv Bajaj, President, Bajaj Auto, while launching the new bike. Available in two engine capacities, a powerful 180cc engine that generates 15 Ps of raw pulsating power and a 150cc engine, which offers higher fuel efficiency, the vehicle will be launched across the country over the next three months. According to Mr. Bajaj, Pulsar is sure to catch on the young mindset of biking universe with its street-sport styling.

There are three variants of Pulsar - the top 180cc model with disc brakes and electric start is priced at Rs. 53,896, the 150cc model with disc brakes and electric start at Rs. 48,923 and the 150cc model with disc brakes is available at Rs. 44,884, ex- showroom Pune.

``Pulsar is all set to attract the performance seekers who today account for 5 per cent of the total bike volume and with a clever combination of three variants, Bajaj Pulsar has the potential to sell two lakh units in the next 24 months," Mr. Bajaj added.

Developed by the product engineering division of Bajaj Auto in association with the Japanese design house Tokyo R&D, Pulsar will be the first bike to be marketed solely under the Bajaj brand.

``With the Indian two-wheeler industry focussed on the motorcycle segment, Bajaj Auto now becomes the only Indian company with offerings in each user segment," Mr. Bajaj claimed. Starting with the entry level Boxer series, the company's range includes, Caliber, Caliber Croma and Aspire in the executive bike segment, Pulsar is the premium bike segment and the only cruiser bike of India the Eliminator.

Mr. Bajaj said with cumulative aggregate rate of growth (CARG) of 43 per cent, ``we have made a clear dent in the motorcycle market by outperforming the industry in the last three years and we will continue our quest for a higher market share in the motorcycles segment".

An estimated Rs. 100 crores has been invested in developing Pulsar and the project took 36 months from conceptualisation to commercial production of the vehicle. Pulsar is being manufactured at Bajaj Auto's facility at Chakan near Pune where all ungeared scooters such as Bajaj Spirit and Bajaj Saffire are manufactured.

While answering a question on the merits of having two similar products - Pulsar and Caliber - from the same company, Mr. Rajiv Bajaj, President, Bajaj Auto, remarked, ``Let me hope that Pulsar really eats into Caliber's market".

The 100cc Caliber is a joint venture product of Bajaj Auto and Kawasaki of Japan, whereas, Pulsar is a product purely from the Bajaj stable. Interestingly, according to an automobile analyst, 60 per cent of Kawasaki's worldwide sales of motorcycles comes from its joint venture with Bajaj.

Further, the base model of Pulsar 150cc is priced close to Bajaj Kawasaki Caliber. But the features in Pulsar model is comparable to Hero Honda CBZ, a 157cc premium bike, which costs Rs. 10,000 more than Pulsar.

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