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Double-digit growth was the norm until inimical

factors hit sector: Rajiv Bajaj
"We compete in over 70 markets globally with our motorcycles and three-wheelers," said Rajiv Bajaj.
Ketan Thakkar & Ashutosh R Shyam | ET Bureau | February 05, 2020, 05:50 IST

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Other Stories From Newsletter 

 Double-digit growth was the norm until inimical fact…

 All Chinese stalls at Auto Expo will be manned …

 Stable to negative: Ind-Ra revises auto sector o…

In most markets, we are No. 1 or 2. In India, too, we are a strong No. 2 in motorcycles with about 20% share, and a
clear No. 1 in three-wheelers with about 57% share, said Bajaj MD.
 Yamaha starts accepting bookings for EV powe…

Mumbai: Bajaj Auto’s strategy to diversify and enter new markets overseas seems to  Union Budget 2020 is positive for the logistics i…
have paid off. In an interview, Bajaj Auto MD Rajiv Bajaj said that to de-risk, the
company needs to be global and agile.  Honda Cars awards 14 aspiring engineers and …

 Harley Davidson sells over 25,000 motorcycles …

Bajaj said double-digit growth was generally the norm until the industry ran into a
host of "inimical factors" in the last 18 months. Bajaj Auto chose to be global, despite  Supreme Nonwovens Group completes acquisit…
India being the largest two-wheeler market in the world, as it had no control over
 Policymakers need to decide if auto industry sh…
local factors. Edited excerpts:

Bajaj Auto continues to drive the premium motorcycle business in India, with
KTM, Husqvarna and, very soon, Triumph. What is your broader vision for the
premium bike division?

We partnered KTM in 2007 with the belief that we could combine their brand strength
and distribution in developed markets with our competitive operations and
distribution in emerging markets to define a new business model. It has been an
extremely potent thesis that has made KTM the world's No.1 premium motorcycle
brand by volume in a matter of years. We believe that we can repeat this success
with Husqvarna and Triumph. Most Read in Two Wheelers

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Rahul Bajaj to step down from
executive role of Bajaj Auto

How does the alliance among Bajaj, KTM,Husqvarna and Triumph play out on Two-wheeler buying gathers
the global stage? speed in January second half,
BS-IV stock runs out in some
regions
Our strategy was to build Bajaj as the most complete and versatile motorcycle maker
in the world, and these partnerships have been crucial bricks in that wall. Today, we Bajaj Auto launches BS-VI
version of CT, Platina, priced
are the only motorcycle maker that has a significant market presence across the from Rs 40,794
world, with a portfolio ranging from a hardy Boxer in Africa, which we export for as
little as $400, to a race spec KTM 390 which is sold across US, Europe and Japan
Hero MotoCorp launches
for €6,000. Pleasure+ 110 BS-VI scooter,
priced from Rs 54,800

The understanding that enables us to bring to bear upon each brand exactly that
combination of technology design quality and cost that is right for it, is what
differentiates us.

The company's market share in India remains at 12-14%, and in the motorcycle
business it has increased to 18%. Are you expecting an upside in market
share?

We compete in over 70 markets globally with our motorcycles and three-wheelers. In

most markets, we are No. 1 or 2. In India, too, we are a strong No. 2 in motorcycles
with about 20% share, and a clear No. 1 in three-wheelers with about 57% share.
We would obviously like to improve our performance across all our markets. But
unlike most other Indian auto companies whose sales are largely restricted to India,
we're not over obsessed by any one market.
Other Stories From Newsletter 
The compounded annual growth rate of the two-wheeler market has been 6-7%  Double-digit growth was the norm until inimical fact…
in the last five years. Is it too low?
 All Chinese stalls at Auto Expo will be manned …

Double-digit growth was generally the norm until the industry ran into a host of
 Stable to negative: Ind-Ra revises auto sector o…
inimical factors in the last 18 months.
 Yamaha starts accepting bookings for EV powe…
Organisations like Bajaj Auto have no control on these, and this is exactly why we
 Union Budget 2020 is positive for the logistics i…
chose to be global, despite India being the largest two-wheeler market in the world.
 Honda Cars awards 14 aspiring engineers and …
Your view on ease of doing business here?
 Harley Davidson sells over 25,000 motorcycles …

In the last 29 years, my experience has been that from technology induction to
 Supreme Nonwovens Group completes acquisit…
labour relations, the only things that have gotten better are the ones that we have
worked at to help ourselves. The system within which we operate remains largely the  Policymakers need to decide if auto industry sh…
same in most respects. Most Read This Week This Month

The industry is expected to post a steep decline. When do you expect the Auto Expo 2020: Chinese delegates
market to get back to normalcy? cancel visit to India
While the Chinese
What we need to do to de-risk ourselves is to be global and agile. players (exhibitors) have
not backed out, the
delegates had to cancel
How does Bajaj plan to tackle slowdown, likely price increase on account of their tickets resulting in
BS VI?
Kubota's autonomous electric tractor looks like …

The short answer is smart innovation. In the sub-150cc commuter segment, we have Budget 2020: Winners and Losers: Who got wh…
stirred demand by adding value to deliver a lot more product for a little more money. Tata Motors posts Rs 1,738 cr profit on the bac…
In the 150cc+ sport segment, we have launched almost a dozen new products in a
CEO’s take on 2020: An electric hatchback pric…
manner that keeps the aspiration but makes it more affordable. This is why we have
recorded a lower de-growth than the industry and have consequently grown share. Popular Searches

Will the 100 cc entry bike segment continue to play a pivotal role, despite Best Cars under 5 Lakh
steep price increase expected in BS VI?
Top 10 Bikes

About half of our global sales of 5 million vehicles is represented by such affordable, Top 10 Cars
efficient and reliable motorcycles in the brands boxer CT and Platina. That's not
going anywhere in a hurry.

What is your vision for the Chetak brand? How do you see this business
evolving in the next 3-5 years?

We have just taken the first step in the direction of sustainable urban mobility in the
avatar of the new electric Chetak. We must first focus on getting this business
proposition qualitatively perfect in all respects before we begin to think quantitatively
about aspects of scale.

Do you think time for adoption of electric two-wheelers, three-wheelers has

come?

I think the cost of being wrong is negligible compared to the cost of being late to
market. It is with this knowledge that manufacturers must risk investing in electric
vehicles. Three-wheelers are undoubtedly a promising use case. However, as with
all electric vehicles, the initial cost and eventual disposal of batteries is still an
unsolved mystery.

What is the future of internal combustion engine?

In general, we underestimate its importance in the short term and overestimate it in Other Stories From Newsletter 
the long term.
 Double-digit growth was the norm until inimical fact…

Your view on the quadricycle business. Are you surprised by modest volumes  All Chinese stalls at Auto Expo will be manned …
so far?
 Stable to negative: Ind-Ra revises auto sector o…

Like Discover, Pulsar, Dominar, KTM, Husqvarna and the new electric Chetak, our  Yamaha starts accepting bookings for EV powe…
Quadricycle, the Qute, represents not just a new product but also a new segment.
Invariably something that’s new starts off slowly, before building up to a mainstream  Union Budget 2020 is positive for the logistics i…

presence.
 Honda Cars awards 14 aspiring engineers and …
Read also
 Harley Davidson sells over 25,000 motorcycles …
Bajaj Auto January sales down 3% Bajaj Auto increasing focus on
at 394,473 units profitability in domestic market
 Supreme Nonwovens Group completes acquisit…

 Policymakers need to decide if auto industry sh…

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All Chinese stalls at Auto Expo will be manned by

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ETAuto | February 04, 2020, 13:56 IST  Honda Cars awards 14 aspiring engineers and …

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Yamaha starts accepting bookings for EV
powertrain
The Japanese company claims that this EV powertrain comes with high-power density and generates up to 200 kW
power output.
ETAuto | February 04, 2020, 16:14 IST

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Other Stories From Newsletter 

 Double-digit growth was the norm until inimical fact…

 All Chinese stalls at Auto Expo will be manned …

 Stable to negative: Ind-Ra revises auto sector o…

 Yamaha starts accepting bookings for EV powe…

 Union Budget 2020 is positive for the logistics i…

 Honda Cars awards 14 aspiring engineers and …

 Harley Davidson sells over 25,000 motorcycles …

 Supreme Nonwovens Group completes acquisit…

 Policymakers need to decide if auto industry sh…