Bajaj Auto: Bike sales up by 8% in June

What people are really waiting for, from Bajaj, is the launch of its KTM 690 Duke and Kawasaki Ninja 250R bikes. Both of these should be launched in India before the end of this year...

Bajaj Auto has reported an 8 percent increase in its motorcycle sales in June this year. The company sold 175,903 units in June 2008, compared to 162,730 units in June last year.

The total sale of Bajaj scooters and motorcycles stood at 177,112 units in June this year, a jump of 7 percent over 165,236 units sold in June 2007. Total two- and three-wheeler sales in June went up by 5 percent, to 196,741 units, up from 188,102 units in June 2007.

BAL's exports also went up by 33 percent in June, to 64,878 units, from 48,675 units in June last year. The company plans to launch various new 125cc bikes this year, and is also expected to launch its KTM and Kawasaki sportsbike range before the end of this year.

Bajaj Pulsar 220 DTS-Fi wins Indian Motorcycle of the Year 2008 Award

The Bajaj Pulsar 220 DTS-Fi wins the IMOTY 2008 Award
Pic: Flickr

The Bajaj Pulsar 220 DTS-Fi – the biggest, sportiest motorcycle in the Pulsar range – has won the inaugural Indian Motorcycle of the Year (IMOTY) 2008 Award. The jury members for this award comprised of representatives from all the major automobile magazines from the country, who came together to give away this award.

‘The Pulsar 220 has well and truly redefined the performance biking space in the country. With its combination of technological innovation, head turning styling, brilliant dynamics and amazing value, the 220 well and truly walks home with the inaugural IMOTY award,’ said Sirish Chandran, Executive Editor, Overdrive magazine and chairperson, IMOTY 2008 jury.

Bajaj motorcycle sales up 7.57% in May 2008

The Pulsar range continues to be Bajaj's biggest success story ever...

Bajaj Auto Ltd (BAL) has reported a 7.57 percent rise in its motorcycle sales in May 2008 at 179,649 units compared to 167,008 units in the same month last year.

Bajaj’s total two-wheeler sales (including scooters) during the month stood at 180,935 units, a jump of 6.86 percent over the last year's corresponding month's sale of 169,327 units. Total two- and three-wheeler sale in May increased by 4.17 percent to 201,511 units, from 193,437 units in the same period last year. BAL's exports rose to 60,215 units in May 2008, from 49,203 units in the corresponding period last year.

Bajaj Auto will launch four new 125cc+ motorcycles in September 2008. The company is also expected to start selling its KTM and Kawasaki range of bigger sportsbikes in India by the end of this year.

Bajaj Auto announces results for FY 2007-08

Things are looking up for Bajaj Auto

A meeting of the Board of Directors of Bajaj Auto Limited was held today to consider and approve the results for the financial year 2007-08. This is the first financial year of the company post demerger, hence the previous year’s financial figures have not been given. The summary of audited results of Bajaj Auto is as under.

Turnover (net of excise) for FY 2007-08 was Rs 91,688 million. Gross Profit after interest but before VRS, depreciation and taxation was Rs 14,111 million. The company paid Rs 1,024 million in compensation under VRS and profit before taxation was Rs 11,347 million.

Provision for taxation (including deferred tax) was Rs 3,788 million and net profit for the year was Rs 7,559 million. Earnings per share was Rs 54.20.

The Board of Directors recommended a dividend of Rs 20 per share (200%). The total amount of dividend and tax thereon amounted to Rs 3,385 million.

The company sold a total of 2,139,779 motorcycles in FY 2007-08, which was a 10 percent decline on the 2,379,499 units which it sold in FY 2006-07. Three-wheeler sales, at 290,312 units was also down by 10 percent compared with last year. However, exports, at 618,341 units, were up by 40 percent.

On the whole, Indian motorcycle industry sales declined by 8 percent in 2007-08. The shift from 100cc segment to 125cc plus segment continues, and the latter now constitutes 36 percent of market as against 31 percent during last year. Bajaj Auto continues to focus on the more profitable 125cc plus segment, where the company’s market share is close to 50 percent.

Bajaj Auto’s new launches in the 125cc plus segment included the XCD 125 DTS-Si, Discover 135 DTS-i, Pulsar 200 DTS-i and Pulsar 220 DTS–Fi. The growth in 125cc plus segment has, however, been offset by the decline in the company’s 100cc portfolio. Hence, the company’s overall motorcycle market share marginally reduced from 33.5 percent in 2006-07 to 32.7 percent in 2007-08.

In the three-wheeler space, Bajaj Auto’s sales continued to reflect the overall slow market conditions. However, the company still continues its dominance in the three-wheeler market and its market share in the passenger carrier segment stands at 71.5 percent in 2007-08. Bajaj Auto also continues to be the leading exporter of two- and three-wheelers. The company exported a total of 482,026 two-wheelers and 136,315 three-wheelers, valued at a total of Rs 20,478 million.

In a significant move towards future product development in the bigger sportsbike segment, Bajaj Auto, through Bajaj Auto International Holdings BV., acquired a 24.45 percent stake in KTM Power Sports AG, with a total investment of Rs 5.68 billion. KTM is the second largest European motorcycle maker and a worldwide leading manufacturer of power sports vehicles.

Bajaj Auto Indonesia, which was incorporated in 2006-07 as a Bajaj Auto subsidiary in Indonesia, with an issued, subscribed and paid-up capital of Rs 562 million, is also doing well. The company assembles and markets Pulsars in Indonesia. During 2007-08, new variants of the Pulsar were launched in Indonesia, and an exclusive dealer network has been put in place, which gives the company access to the key markets of Jakarta, Java, Sumatra, Bali and Sulawesi.

Renault-Nissan-Bajaj ULC small car to go on sale in India by 2011

Ok, nobody really knows what the Nissan-Renault-Bajaj ULC car will look like, but we'll bet it won't be dowdy...

After the Tata Nano created the Rs one lakh car segment, other companies also want a slice of the action. And quickly moving ahead in the race to offer ultra low cost cars in India is Renault-Nissan, who’ve tied up with Bajaj for the same.

The Renault-Nissan-Bajaj small car, codenamed the ULC, will be built at an all-new manufacturing facility in Chakan, near Pune, and initial capacity will be four lakh units per annum. Apart from selling the car in India, the company will also look at exporting the car to other emerging markets.

Bajaj will hold a 50 percent stake in the small car JV, while Nissan and Renault will hold 25 percent each.

Bajaj Auto bike sales up by 23.6pc in April

Bajaj Auto continues on a steady growth path this year

Bajaj Auto has reported a 23.6% growth in motorcycle sales during April 2008, at 203,081 units, against 164,304 units in April 2007. The company's total two-wheeler sales also rose 23.08% during the month, at 203,930 units, as compared to 165,692 units in April 2007.

Bajaj’s total three-wheeler sales went down by 26.47% at 17,913 units, as compared to 24,360 units in April last year. However, exports increased by 41.79% to 73,624 units, from 51,926 units in April 2007.

According to a Bajaj Auto statement, the company’s sales were strong in the XCD, Discover, Avenger and Pulsar series, which together grew by 34%. Bajaj will now concentrate on consolidating its position in the 125cc category, which it expects to represent 50% of the market in 2009. The company also expects to export over 800,000 units this year.

Bajaj is also likely to launch bigger, more powerful motorcycles this year in collaboration with Japanese bike maker Kawasaki, and with Austrian bike manufacturer KTM, in which Bajaj has already picked up a significant stake.

Renault-Bajaj small car still at least three years away

Renault-Bajaj will make this Rs 1.25 lakh rupee car, but it won't be ready before 2011

Carlos Ghosn, head of French automaker Renault, has said that at a time when the European car market is contracting, Renault is banking on doing well in emerging markets like Russia, Brazil and India, which are currently enjoying significant growth.

Ghosn further said that Renault, which is building a plant in Chennai, is on track for its US$2,500 car, which it will build in collaboration with Bajaj. The car would be ready to go on sale in the first half of 2011, he said.

In addition to its activities in India, Renault has also teamed up with AvtoVAZ in Russia, and will also start making battery-powered electric cars by the year 2012.