Bajaj Auto to launch Kawasaki Ninja on Oct 5

As the motorcycle sales of India's second largest two-wheeler maker Bajaj Auto are picking up fast, the company is all set to launch the much-awaited Kawasaki Ninja 250R motorcycle on October 5. The bookings of the same bike would begin just ahead of Diwali, Bajaj Auto Managing Director Rajiv Bajaj said here today.

The Ninja 250R is considered to be an entry-level sports bike manufactured by Japanese two-wheeler maker Kawasaki. The motorcycle would be priced between Rs 1.50 lakh and Rs 2 lakh in India. "The bookings would start just ahead of Diwali and the deliveries would happen immediately," Bajaj stated. He also said, the new version of Pulsar would be launched within next three months.

Ahead of festive season, Bajaj Auto, which has seen a sharp decline in sales number in the last financial year, seems to be turning the tables at a faster rate. The company is currently selling more than 2,50,000 motorcycles in a month (including export units), which is a huge jump from 1,10,000 units almost a year ago. The same has seen the two-wheeler maker face capacity shortage issues.

"We are experiencing production shortage in case of Discover and Pulsar motorbikes as the sales of these two models are jointly expected to hit 1,30,000 mark this month. Also, the availability of the tyres for these vehicles in under pressure. This has resulted into certain waiting period for these two models," he added.

Bajaj Auto also plans to launch three new models in its three-wheeler commercial as well as passenger vehicles segment by March 2010. The company on Wednesday launched RE600 cargo vehicle meant for intra-city goods transport. The vehicle is priced at Rs 1.03 lakh (ex-showroom Pune) and would be promoted as " Chhote Ustad ", the company said. The vehicle is being manufactured at company's plant near Aurangabad.