Bajaj Auto earns leadership status in entry-level and sports bike segments

Bajaj Auto today announced that it has achieved leadership position in the entry-level and sports motorcycle segments combined. The company said that in the overall motorcycle mass market comprising the entry, executive and sports segments, it is now the fastest growing in two of the three segments. The company now plans to address the executive bike market with the launch of a brand-new motorcycle by end of March 2016.

In the entry-level segment, the bikemaker said it grew its market share from 23 percent to 36 percent in April-December 2015. Volumes were driven by the CT100, which was relaunched last year, and the new Platina, which made its debut in January. Bajaj Auto says it sold 6,81,000 entry-level commuter bike in the first nine months of the fiscal year (April-December 2015) compared to the 3,83,000 units in April-December 2014. In November-December 2015, following the launch of the new Avenger cruiser bikes, Bajaj Auto claims it has attained market leadership of 53 percent in the mass sports segment for bikes priced below Rs 1 lakh. The entry-level and sports segments together constitute 43 percent of the domestic two-wheeler market and Bajaj Auto says it is now the leader in these categories with a 36 percent market share.

Speaking on this growing market share, Eric Vas, president (Motorcycle Business), Bajaj Auto, said: In a challenging environment for the automobile industry, Bajaj Auto maintained positive momentum as a result of a well-crafted strategy – superior customer value through differentiated products and strong brands. With the introduction of new products such as the CT100 and the new Platina, we strengthened our position in the entry-level segment. In the sports segment, we enhanced our leadership position through the launch of the Pulsar RS 200, Pulsar AS 200 and 150 and the Avenger Cruise 220 and Avenger Street 220 and 150.”

According to the company, the Pulsar RS 200 has become the largest selling performance bike priced above Rs 1 lakh. The recently launched Avengers have also seen a good market response with December 2015 sales crossing 20,000 units. It is understood that production capacity for the Avengers is to be raised to 30,000 units per month by March 2016.