Bajaj Auto recently released its FY11-12 Q3 results and Rajiv Bajaj revealed alot of information on the upcoming launches from the company. Mr. Bajaj stressed several times on the fact that Bajaj Auto will be launching two very important yet break through products in the next four months. The first product is the KTM Duke 200, which we all are aware of, the bike which will be launched on the 24th of January 2012. The second product will be unveilied on the 30th of January in Mumbai and Mr. Bajaj did not divulge much details about what it could be. Sales of this product would commence in March. There is no doubt that this is the next generation Pulsar, which will be unveiled by the end of this month.
Bajaj Auto has already unveiled its RE60 4-wheeler, which is set to hit the roads by the end of the year. The next generation Pulsar has been increasingly spotted in and around Pune as testing continues of the definitely male bike. The reason for an unveil now and a launch after 2 months could be so that spy pictures remain absolutely minimal and the buzz around the next iteration of the Pulsar remains intact. Once Bajaj unveils the new Pulsar, it could send it for homologation at ARAI and would not have to worry much about the camouflaging used by the Government agency.
Bajaj also mentioned that they won’t be hiking prices of their motorcycles in the last quarter. The company has been able to maintain margins inspite of Rupee deprecating as 35% of its earnings are from exports. The margin on the Discover and Pulsar are almost similar so even if a buyer is forced to opt for a cheaper motorcycle due to the infavaourable economic conditions, the company is able to maintain its margins. The next generation Pulsar will see heavy influence from the KTM Duke, sharing many parts and components with it.
Source – Moneycontrol
