Bajaj rolls out 4th Pulsar variant

Riding high on the success of its Pulsar family, Bajaj Auto made another addition by launching the new 220 cc Pulsar DTS-Fi here today. The bike is the fourth in the family, following the 150, the 180 and the 200 cc variants.

Priced at Rs 81,280 (ex-showroom New Delhi), the new bike comes with Bajaj's DTS-Fi technology (Digital Twin Spark-Fuel Injection). Rajeev Bajaj, managing director of Bajaj Auto, said, "It will give a unique combination of power and mileage to the customers."

The bike also sports a new digital console, with indicators for air filter condition, engine temperature, battery voltage and oil level, while retaining all the features of the 200 cc variant.

The company has targeted sales of 2,000 units a month for the new bike. Between the Pulsar and the Avenger, the company already has an over 60 per cent market share in the above 150 cc category.

Hinting at hardening interest rates and rising raw material costs, Bajaj said the first quarter profits of the company might not show much addition to the Jan-Mar quarter.

The auto major recorded a net profit of Rs 308 crore in the Jan-Mar quarter, with an operating profit margin of 20.91 per cent. Interest rates have risen by 250 basis points since December.

Talking about sales, Bajaj said it was supposed to stay at the same level till September, from whereon it might get an upswing as the company plans to launch a new bike in September.

"Looking at the void between the Platina (Rs 33,000) and the Discover (Rs 45,000), we plan to launch a bike over the 100 cc segment, which will be priced at around Rs 40,000. It will give a boost to our sales in the near 100 cc segment, adding probably 50,000 customers," Bajaj said.

He added that the mobike would use Bajaj's new DTS-Si technology (Digital Twin Spark-Swirl Induction) that will lay more emphasis on mileage. The company is setting up a 50,000 capacity manufacturing unit in Aurangabad, Maharashtra, for the new bike.

The company also plans to ramp up the production of its only under 100 cc bike, the Platina, from 20,000 to 60-70,000 a month at its facility in Pantnagar.

Bajaj also said that he expected exports of 6,00,000 vehicles a month, a 50 per cent y-o-y growth.