Bajaj Auto expands Pulsar portfolio

Two wheeler manufacturer Bajaj Auto is now targeting emerging sport bike category with more offerings. The company today unveiled the Pulsar Adventure Sport series with Pulsar AS 200 and Pulsar AS150 along with Pulsar Rs 200. It will expand the category further in the next few months. The adventure sport bike category - AS200 and AS150 - are priced at Rs 80,570 and Rs 91000(ex-showroom Pune). The RS200 is priced at Rs 1.21 lakh for the non-ABS version and at Rs 1.33 lakh for the ABS version, ex-showroom, Pune.

''Bajaj Auto has created this sports bike segment in India. With 43 per cent market share in this category, we dominate the sector. We are hoping to gain 50 per cent market share in future. The category is growing at 300 per cent year-on-year. We will ramp up the capacities if required. We hope to sell 2,000 units of RS200s and around 1,500 AS bikes every month . The Pulsar Adventure Sport series is launched targeting the young bikers, and the company will expand the category further in the next few months, said Eric Vas, president, motorcycles business, Bajaj Auto.

Bajaj Auto created the sports bike segment in India with the launch of Pulsar 150-cc and Pulsar 180-cc in 2001. In the super sports bikes segment (220-cc-250-cc capacity bikes in the sub-Rs 1 lakh price point), Pulsar and its competition sell close to 10,000 units a month. These bikes are being manufactured at company's Chakan plant with the monthly capacity of one lakh units. Bajaj Auto is planning to set up second facility in Chakan as it is unable to fulfill the surging demand of the Indian market.

Vas added, "Today Pulsar range sells more than 55,000 units every month in the domestic sports motorcycle market. We are confident that this new offerings will enable us to take that share closer to 50 per cent."

In the two-wheeler segment, Bajaj Auto dominates the 200-cc segment in India, though the category has a marginal share in the overall bike market. In the year ended March 2015, Bajaj Auto maintained its No.2 slot in the country.

Bajaj Auto Limited