Hamara Pulsar, Hamara Discover
The brand that gave India the slogan 'Hamara Bajaj', a catchphrase identical with a whole generation, will cease to exist come April this year. Bajaj Auto Managing director Rajiv Bajaj recently stated his aim to remove the Bajaj brand and, in its place, establish its top-selling Pulsar and Discover as split brands in their their own light. This is not an unusual move for brands in European and foreign countries but will certainly be a first for Indian automotive manufacturers who rely on family names for their product range (read TVS, Mahindra and Tata).
“He has already started the process so today on a Pulsar, the Bajaj name is seen only on the engine. The same is the case with Discover. Our three-wheeler has Bajaj in small font while the initial ‘RE’ is in much larger font. One day, We will fall the Bajaj name from there also completely”, Rajiv Bajaj disclosed in a recent interview. He said consumers know that the product is made from Bajaj, just like Audi product is coming from Volkswagen. But there is no Volkswagen on the Audi scheme. This creates a opinion that there is something more in the product”, he added. The project is spearheaded by Fitch, the worldwide design organization that have collaborated with brands as diverse as Aditya Birla Group, Boeing, Reliance ADAG, Tata and Microsoft in the past.
Bajaj Auto Plans Distribution Expansion
Bajaj manufacturers plans massive distribution expansion in Indian market. Bajaj India plans on adding one hundered thirty new dealerships and upgrading 1,100 service centers by the end of 2011. The new dealers, largely in small towns, would take the total number to more than six hundered dealerships across India. The company has great reach of Bajaj Pulsar across the country but the same cannot be said with the Bajaj Discover which has huge potential in semi-urban towns.
Bajaj India is also working with a reputed international retail design agency to enhance the experience of consumers at its dealerships. A typical Bajaj dealership in these towns requires 1800 sq ft. of showroom space, 2200 sq ft. of workshop space, and has the direct employment potential of approx fifty people which can significantly boost the local economy by creating 7,000 new jobs.
Pulsar And Discover Get Dearer
All those planning to buy a Bajaj Bike will have to excavate a bit deeper in their pockets. For Bajaj Auto has hiked the prices of their motorcycles starting this October, owing to increased prices of raw materials. The price go up is different for every model spanning from Rs. 500-2000. At the base of this price skyscraper lies the Pulsar 135 still carries the same price tag. The lower capacity bikes like the Platina and Discover series are costlier by Rs. 500-1000 while the Pulsar 150, 180 and 220 prices have increased by Rs. 500-800.
The cruiser styled bike Avenger boasting chrome treatment and fat rubber is obviously the worst unnatural with a price hike of just over Rs. 2000. With the festival season approaching, manufacturers generally plan to reduce the prices of their bikes but with input costs going way overboard, a price hike was inevitable even for giants like Bajaj.
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