Eicher Motors, Bajaj Auto battle it out for mid-segment bike market

Eicher sold 357,619 motorbikes in the 250-500 cc segment during April-September this year, with nearly a 90% share of the domestic market

Rajiv Bajaj calls him a “good friend”, yet his company, Bajaj Auto, is waging a bitter battle against Siddhartha Lal’s Eicher Motors to break into the 250 cc-plus motorbike market, where the latter reigns supreme.

In a tweet last week, Lal, chief executive officer, Eicher Motors, said, “Royal Enfield’s sales are equivalent to the global sales of Harley-Davidson, KTM, BMW, Triumph, and Ducati, combined. Let that sink in for a second.” Eicher owns the iconic Royal Enfield motorcycle brand.

Bajaj, managing director of Bajaj Auto, which has a 49 per cent stake in KTM and a comprehensive collaboration with Triumph