Bajaj Auto to launch new 100cc bike

Bajaj Auto will launch a new 100cc bike for the mass market, which it said will offer much-needed "excitement" in the segment. The company plans to launch the bike by January. "It will be the most expensive 100cc bike ever launched and will be the most advanced technologically," said President K Srinivas, Motorcyle Business, Bajaj Auto.

He however declined to divulge the price range in which the new bike would be positioned . "Our experience has been that buyers in this segment are value conscious and not necessarily price conscious," he said when asked about preference for lower priced bikes among buyers in the segment.

Customers in the segment have had to compromise with "boring bikes and boring features" for the sake of mileage, for too long, said Srinivas. Bajaj Auto wants to offer "exciting bikes with exciting features" along with good mileage, he said and added that customers have started moving towards 125cc bikes as they offered a lot more features. The new bike however will be a "mass product."

"I have no doubt about it," Srinivas quipped when asked whether the new 100cc bike would dislodge Splendor from its pedestal . Bajaj's Discover has already overtaken Splendor by a small margin in September , making it the largest selling brand, he stated.

While Discover clocked sales of about 1.22 lakh units in the month, Splendor sold around 1.21 lakh units. Though 100cc accounts for most of the volumes, there are models higher than that capacity under both the brands. Bajaj Auto has seen improvement in sales during the first few days of the festival season. Srinivas, who was speaking on the sidelines of the inauguration of Bajaj's fourth dealership in the city, said that sales increased 6% during 'Navarathri'. The company sold around 88,000 bikes during the last 'Navarathri'.