By riding on the platform of power even as the rest of the industry was obsessing with fuel efficiency and price, Bajaj Auto changed the rules of the game with the brash, individualistic, testosterone-fuelled Pulsar
Circa 2001: Bajaj Auto commissions a market research agency to survey how a newly-developed bike will be accepted in the market place. Amechanical engineer from the National Institute of Technology who joined Bajaj Auto in 1989 is one amongst the top team who meets the agency for feedback. “The tank and exhaust are too big,” droned the agency chief. “Reduce the size of the tank or else it will limit the relevance of the bike,” he forewarned.
The engineer patiently heard out the agency honcho. And ignored his advice. “The very same tank and its character lines became the signature of Pulsar,” he says more than a decade later – a period in which some 50 lakh Pulsars have been sold (till May 2012).
The engineer in question is Abraham Joseph, now Bajaj Auto’s chief technology officer, who has gone on to develop a series of wildly successful Pulsars – ranging from 135 cc to 220 cc – along with other thriving models like the Discover range. But Joseph’s biggest break – and for that matter Bajaj Auto’s – is the blockbuster of 2001 that has earned him the sobriquet, ‘Father of the Pulsar.’ With good reason.
The Pulsar not only transformed the way Indians commuted, but also changed the DNA of the country’s second-largest two-wheeler maker that till then had successful but staid models like the M-80, the rear-engine three-wheeler and of course the scooter blockbuster, Chetak. Other than transforming Bajaj Auto into a respected maker of bikes, the Pulsar did plenty more for the Pune-headquartered company. For one, it provided the manufacturer a platform to make a much-needed shift from monotonous high-volume manufacturing — in 1997-98, Bajaj Auto produced a mind-boggling 1 million scooters — to innovation-led product development.
The mid-nineties also witnessed a dramatic shift in the preference of Indian consumers, from stolid scooters to bolder bikes. By 1999, motorcycles had overtaken scooter sales for the first time in the country. Bajaj Auto was at crossroads — mobikes accounted for only a fraction of two-wheelers sold, and inflexible systems, manpower and mindsets all contributed to the company being relegated from top dog to the No 4 positon, behind Hero Honda, Yamaha and TVS Suzuki.
“Pulsar was not just a bike for Bajaj Auto,” says VG Ramakrishnan, vice-president, automotive and transportation practice at Frost & Sullivan. “It was a do or die product. It was one single product that virtually saved the company.” The company could just not get its earlier launches in the 100 cc and 110 cc right.
By 2001, by when the Pulsar was ready for launch — the 150 cc and 180 cc models hit the road in November — Hero Honda ruled the roost with 100 cc bikes. Almost the entire bike market was 100 cc, and we were fast losing ground to Hero Honda,” says K Srinivas, president – motorcycle business, Bajaj Auto.
The Bajaj Auto strategy was clear-cut: offer exactly the opposite of what the leader was. If Hero Honda was talking about fuel efficiency, Bajaj made power its proposition. “In one word, what Hero owns is mileage, and the one word Bajaj owns is power, thanks to the Pulsar,” Rajiv Bajaj, MD & CEO, Bajaj Auto, told ET recently. "It redefined motorcycles in India,” he says. Before the launch of Pulsar, people never thought of power bikes; it was something that never crossed their mind. It’s a breakthrough product,” adds Srinivas.
The transformation in the R&D labs, where the path-breaking DTS-i technology was developed, and on the shop floor — production of the Pulsar was out of a spanking new factory in Chakan on the outskirts of Pune — had to be communicated to consumers. The focus on power and muscular styling had to be the product differentiator, even as the rest of the industry was riding on the more predictable platforms of fuel efficiency and price. This led to a shift from the familial ‘Hamara Bajaj’ slogan to the brash, individualistic, testosterone-dripping ‘Definitely Male.’
“When we saw it (the Pulsar) for the first time,” recalls Abhijit Awasthi, national creative director of Ogilvy India, “we knew it had to be male. It was so muscular.” Till then, people used to say ‘bike chalti hai,' but this has to be ‘bike chalta hai,’ adds Avasthi, who spearheaded the ‘Definitely Male’ campaign. “Till then all bikes were referred to in the feminine,” avers Sanjay Saraswat, vice-president (marketing), who joined Bajaj Auto in 1988. “But one look at the Pulsar and it stood out as the male bike amongst females.”
Over the years, Bajaj Auto has done well to refresh the product, along with launching new engine sizes. For instance, by 2006 when the Pulsar crossed 1 million in sales, it was the only bike with a digital speedometer and LED tail lamps. A year later, the Pulsar broke the 200 cc barrier with a 220 cc model (after launching a 200 cc bike). And Rajiv Bajaj recently let on that by 2013 the Pulsar will have a 350 cc avatar.
But for a product that has been in the market for over a decade, how serious is the problem of brand fatigue setting in? “How will you keep fresh in the minds of the consumers,” asks Ramakrishnan of Frost & Sullivan. “That’s their biggest challenge.” For the next five years, they don’t need to replace Pulsar, he says. “But they will have to think of another killer product in the category.” Rajiv Bajaj in the interview to ET had indicated that “350 cc may be a good place to stop as of now. But 10 years down the line, the Pulsar can go much further.” In that period, appetite for heavier bikes will build up, and the entry of rivals in these categories will — even as they prove head-on competition for the Pulsar — will help grow these segments. And as Saraswat puts it: What will get ahead of the Pulsar will be another Pulsar. It’s the pulse of Bajaj Auto.
2000-01 Pulsar launched in two variants 150 cc and 180 cc. Birth of Pulsar twins creates a new segment — sports biking.
2002-03
DTS-i engine introduced. The Pulsar twins outsell competition by over 3 times. The DTS-i advertising campaign showed the bike with one wheel off the ground — first time ever in motorcycle advertising in India — an irreverent image of Pulsar was born.
2004-05
Pulsars got 17" alloy wheels, nitrox suspension and
'ExhausTEC' technology. An "all black" styling, with broader
rear tyre and tyre huggers introduced.
2006
Pulsar becomes leader in the sports segment with a 50% share, maintained till date. For the first time a sports bike in India gets digital speedometer, backlit switches, self cancelling indicators and LED tail lamps. Sales cross 1 million.
2007-08
The first Indian bike to break the 200 cc barrier hits the road — Pulsar 200 and 220. The 200cc sported a carburetor, the 220cc was fuel injected. DTS-Fi engine, tubeless tyre, front & rear disc brakes raise the oomph quotient.
2009
Pulsar 220 cc carburetor version introduced,
christened - the fastest Indian. Sales cross 3 million mark. 2010 Pulsar 135 cc is born with 4 valve DTS-i engine. Sales cross 4 million. 2011 Pulsar gets sportier with stylish speedlines. Sales close to 5 million. June 2012 Pulsar 200 NS is launched. 2013 Rajiv Bajaj says Pulsar 350 cc will be launched.
