With consumers lapping up every available Ninja (performance bike from Kawasaki) from Bajaj Auto showrooms, the Pune-based company is gearing up to launch more high-end products from the Japanese stable later in the year.
In a little over six months, Bajaj, the country’s second biggest two-wheeler maker, has sold over 500 units of the Kawasaki Ninja 250R, price Rs 2.69 lakh (the same as a Maruti Suzuki Alto car).
Bajaj Auto has an agreement with Kawasaki Heavy Industries Group for importing and selling high-capacity engine bikes of Kawasaki in the Indian market. Bajaj is responsible for after-sales service.
Bajaj is now looking to expand Kawasaki’s range with the launch of more products, that will include locally assembled bikes as well as fully-imported superbikes. Rajiv Bajaj, managing director, Bajaj Auto, said: “We intend to launch more bikes from the Kawasaki stable later in the year.”
The Ninja 250R is the only international performance bike assembled in India. All other globally renowned high-capacity models are imported. The bike is assembled at Bajaj’s Chakan facility near Pune and sold through a series of select outlets, called Probiking.
“We are keen to have more assembled products after looking at the response for the Ninja 250R,” said a company executive. The Ninja 250R has a waiting period of three months, which Bajaj is confident of halving over the next couple of months, while targeting to sell about 1,000 units of it by October.
