Bajaj Auto, known for developing totally different and segment making products, on Thursday launched its best and biggest ever motorcycle Dominar 400 priced up to Rs 1.5 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), taking head on segment leader Royal Enfield which has 80 per cent of market share.
“We changed Bajaj Auto from a scooter company to a motorcycle company by launching segment making and brand new product ‘Pulsar’ 15 year back and with the launch of Dominar 400, we will not only be transforming Indian motorcycle industry but truly be a global company with a most competitive product,” said Bajaj Auto Managing Director Rajiv Bajaj.
“Though none of the car company from India could make a mark on global arena, we along with Royal Enfiled, our rival in the country, will be impacting the segment globally with our respective products,” he added.
The Dominar 400, powered by a 373cc engine will be available with ABS and disc brake versions which are priced at Rs 1.5 lakh and Rs 1.36 lakh, respectively. The product will be booked online only with an amount of Rs 9,000, so there is no impact of demonetisation on Dominar 400. Deliveries will begin by January.
“Dominar 400 shows the entreprenurial commitment of Bajaj Auto, which came up with a path breaking product only 10 months after we launched a totally different product Bajaj V. So, in a short span of only 10 months, we could launch two different products,” added Bajaj.
Spelling out ambitious targets for the new model, he said, “We are targeting about 20 per cent of the segment and if we achieve that then Dominar will be a $1 billion brand in the next 12-18 months.”
The segment, which Bajaj Auto entered with Dominar 400 is currently dominated by Royal Enfield. The company is clocking around 65,000 to 75,000 units a month.
“In 2017, this will be a million units a year segment,” he added.
As it is global product, Bajaj Auto will be exporting it to across the world. “ Excluding Africa, which is yet to mature for this kind of bike, Dominar 400 will be exported across the globe, be it Europe, latin America, Middle East or ASEAN countries like Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippines ,” he said.
“Initially the company is looking at selling around 10,000 units in the domestic market and 5,000 units in other countries. It will start exporting the new product to the global markets from February 2017, he added.
Eventually, Bajaj said, the company is looking at selling around 2 lakh units of the Dominar a year.