Unhappy with the domestic motorcycle market share, says Rajiv Bajaj

Rajiv Bajaj, the 52-year-old managing director of Pune-headquartered Bajaj Auto, is unhappy with the company's domestic motorcycle market share — currently at 18 per cent. The company on Monday launched a campaign to showcase its dominance in motorcycle exports with the hope of a positive rub off on domestic sales.

“I would have liked the company to be more successful in motorcycles in the domestic market. It is about time we made the same impact in motorcycles as we do in the domestic three-wheeler market,” Bajaj said, whose company dominates the three-wheeler market with a 57 per cent share.

He said the key message of the campaign and the new brand identity — The World's Favourite Indian — in the domestic market is to urge the buyers to buy a brand that is being sold in 70 countries globally. The company exports almost 60 per cent of motorcycles from India. In Calendar Year 2017-2018, or CY18, Bajaj exported over two million vehicles, more than 80 per cent of which were motorcycles. In the same year, its domestic motorcycle sale was about 2.4 million units.

Irrespective of the sluggishness in the domestic two-wheeler market in last few months, Bajaj is optimistic. “This is too big a market to fail. It will bounce back.”
 

Bajaj Auto said it is working to launch electric vehicles in the first half of CY20.

Asked about his wish list from this Budget, Bajaj said watching Budget presentation itself is a waste of time, let alone wish for any favour from the government. “You will be surprised to know that in the last 28 years, I’ve not seen Budget even once.”