Since the launch of the first Pulsar close to 17 years ago, Bajaj Auto has gone on to become one of the largest manufacturers and exporter of motorcycles in the country. It now appears that Bajaj is increasing its focus towards the growing electric two-wheelers space.
Apart from announcing its new brand identity as the ‘The World’s Favourite Indian’ at a recent event in Delhi, which was attended by Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog and Rajiv Bajaj, MD, Bajaj Auto, the brand also said that there is work in the pipeline for an electric scooter.
Back in 2017, Rajiv Bajaj revealed that the company is working on a new niche brand within the company named Urbanite and aims to ‘do a Tesla in the two-wheeler space.’ Bajaj was not the first Indian company to show interest in the EV space, however, most electric scooters on sale today are are poor performers and new players like Ather still have a long way to go in establishing themselves. That said, there hasn’t been a significant change in the EV space since that statement was made.
What to expect?
When Rajiv Bajaj revealed that Urbanite was in the works, he also said that he did not want to enter the scooter segment with a product similar to other two-wheelers in the country. A premium electric offering would be something in tune with what Ather Energy has done with its scooters. There is no clarity on what form this product will take, whether it will be a retro hark back to the Chetaks of yore, or a funky and modern product that will be in line with Bajaj’s promise of a ‘Tesla in the two-wheeler space’. What we can be sure of is good performance, probably at par with today’s 125cc scooters.
While no official statement about Urbanite was made at the event, particularly in terms of timeline, we expect to hear more about the product and the sub-brand in general over the coming months.
Azaman Chothia
Vishal Venugopal
