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3 pet projects are keeping the head of Bajaj Auto busyBy:Surajeet Das Gupta |Published :June 17, 2011

The head of two-wheeler giant Bajaj Auto is staking all on a rugged rural bike, a 600-cc super bike for export and a more elegant and comfortable auto rickshaw

Ask Rajiv Bajaj what is keeping him busy nowadays and he will talk of his three pet projects. The managing director of two-wheeler giant Bajaj Auto Ltd (BAL) has recently thrown down a challenge to his research and development unit, to build a “Bharat Bike” with a 150-cc engine, which will cost Rs 40,000 and run on rugged rural roads. Bajaj is currently king in the 150-cc bike segment, but the bike costs over Rs 50,000 (Discover), while the popular Pulsar is available for Rs 60,000.

“What I want is a tractor on a two-wheeler that can take two or three riders and the extra load of products on it, or simply a 150-cc bike at the cost of a 100-cc one,” says Bajaj, elaborating on his strategy.

That is not the only challenge that he has put up for his team. He also wants to sell sub-600-cc bikes that are made in India, leveraging Bajaj’s lower cost as an OEM supplier to the KTM brand in hitherto untapped new global markets like the US, Latin America and, may be, even Australia. Bajaj has already picked up a 40 per cent stake in the European sports bike maker, which is known for its 600-cc-plus heavy bikes. “There is a large market for our bikes in newer untapped markets,” says Bajaj.

And if that isn’t enough, he is also working on a new auto rickshaw model that promises to look better and be more comfortable than the existing range.

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