Bajaj Auto plans Discover, Pulsar variants every year

Second largest two-wheeler maker Bajaj Auto plans to introduce a new variant of both its mainline brands Discover and Pulsar each year to boost sales and further add to the manufacturer’s sporty image. The Pune-based automaker continues to focus singularly on earning a fifth as profit on every motorcycle sold. It ruled out any further launches in the 100 cc to 110 cc mass segment claiming that the segment won’t allow the company to make such profits. New variants such as the Discover 125 ST (sports tourer) will go on sale from June, while the Pulsar 200 NS (naked sports) will go on sale in July, Rajiv Bajaj, managing director at Bajaj Auto, said on Monday. “Whether it is Pulsar, Discover or KTM, our aim is to move up the value chain while we keep on increasing our global market share. Its most important to ensure very good profitability,” Bajaj added. The two new products will be the first models derived from fresh platforms for both Discover and Pulsar and the upcoming variants will be rolled out using these platforms. The firm has ruled out any future products in the mass motorcycle segment except the Platina that it already sells currently, even as players such as Honda is slated to launch the 110-cc Dream Yuga on Tuesday, and Suzuki to launche the 110-cc Hayate later this month. The strategy also allows Bajaj Auto to distance itself from the market leader Hero MotoCorp that accounts for more than 80 per cent of models sold in the mass motorcycle segment. Bajaj Auto currently sells an average of 56,000 units Discover (110 cc to 135 cc) range every month and 85,000 units Pulsar (135 cc to 220 cc) apart from 50,000 units of 110 cc Platina. It also sells the 150 cc Boxer and KTM Duke 200 in comparatively smaller numbers. Bajaj, the third largest motorcycle maker globally by volumes behind Honda and Hero, plans to sell five million units including three wheelers and exports this financial compared with 4.35 million during 2011-12. With sales of 3.8 million motorcycles last financial year, Bajaj Auto’s market share stood at over 10 per cent of the 35 million plus global motorcycle market, he said.