Kawasaki is an expert in making motorcycles, which is why the Japanese company is at the forefront when it comes to performance bikes. The Kawasaki-Bajaj tie-up is ages old and now both companies have started to mutually benefit. Bajaj Auto retails the Ninja 300 and Ninja 650 in India through its pro-biking showrooms and its Kawasaki’s turn to return the favour. Kawasaki is already selling Bajaj products in Philippines and now Bajaj Auto will enter the Indonesian market with the launch of the Pulsar 200 NS, expected later this year. Kawasaki will locally assemble the bike at its Indonesian facility.
This tie-up of assembly and distribution is not limited to Indonesia and Philippines as the duo plan to sell the Pulsar 200 NS in other markets including Brazil and other Asean countries. Bajaj Auto has tried to enter the Indonesia market earlier but has been unsuccesful. Thus a collaboration with Kawasaki was the obvious solution to penetrate the established motorcycle segment in the country. The Pulsar 200 NS will not carry the Bajaj logo in Indonesia, it will instead feature the Kawasaki logo, which won’t be highlighted for obvious reasons.
Bajaj-Kawasaki have sold 3000 units of Ninja motorcycles in India (since the launch around 3.5 years ago, including 650R, 250R and 650). The Pulsar 200 NS is expected to get fuel injection for export markets with an India launch too on the anvil. The company plans to sell 12,000 units of the Pulsar 200 NS in Indonesia, rivalling Yamaha’s Vixion. Kawasaki has made some minor improvements to the Pulsar 200 NS as well, details of which haven’t been revealed yet. Could Bajaj Auto forward these changes to the Indian bike? We certainly hope so.
