Kolkata: Bajaj Auto does not really care if Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) pips it to the second spot in the two-wheeler standing in the country. It is more keen to remain the second largest motorcycle manufacturer in the country and the world’s thirdlargest bike maker.
Speaking to TOI on the sidelines of the launch of Discover 125 ST that Bajaj claims is the first sports tourer, Bajaj Auto president (motorcycle business) K Srinivas said the company was completely focused on motorcycle business and could not be bothered less about a company that manufactured both bikes as well as scooters.
“We want to stay the No. 2 player in motorcycle business and increase our marketshare from 24-25%,” he said. HMSI is the third largest two-wheeler manufacturer at present. It sold 2.1 million units last year, half of them scooters and the rest motorcycles. It is augmenting manufacturing capacity to four million units and aims to roll out 10 million twowheelers per annum by 2020.
Last year, Bajaj sold around 2.5 million units, all motorcycles. Hero MotoCorp, the world’s largest player, manufactured around 5.5 million units, most of them bikes. While Bajaj has a long way to go to catch up with Hero, it has an eye on HMSI’s Japanese parent Honda Motor Co that is the world’s secondlargest bike manufacturer. Hence, though there is no retail growth in the industry, Bajaj is augmenting its plant capacity from 4.25 million units to 4.75 million units per annum.
Srinivas admits the company does have the sights set on global positions. “We aspire to be a global leader in motorcycles because we are a motorcycle specialist unlike others who delve in multiple products. Right now, we are the most profitable motorcycle company in India, and perhaps, even in the world. But to be a world player, we need to be present in bigger
numbers across the globe,” he said.
Last year, Bajaj exported around 1.5 million motorcycles to 55 countries in South and West Asia, Africa and Latin America. It has, however, not forayed in Latin America’s biggest market Brazil and the presence in European Union is through European KTM in which Bajaj has 47% stake. Incidentally, KTM is the second-largest brand in Europe after BMW. “Pulsar is the leading brand in Colombia, Peru and Philippines. In Nigeria, Boxer is way ahead of competition, while in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, Discover, Pulsar and Platina are all leaders. As Bajaj attains leadership position in other global markets, we will inch closer to those ahead of us,” Srinivas added.
