Bajaj hikes prices of Platina and Pulsar

Our Corporate Bureau
07 November 2006

Mumbai: Bajaj Auto has hiked the prices of its popular motorcycle models Platina and Pulsar. "We have hiked the prices of Platina by Rs 500 ex-showroom and that of Pulsar new upgrade between Rs 2,000 and Rs 2,200," a senior company official said.

The company had in September reduced the price of Platina by about Rs 2,000 amidst stiff competition from rivals such as Hero Honda and TVS Motors. The company attributes the current hike in prices to increasing input costs and pressure on the margins.

Bajaj Auto, meanwhile, is planning to exit the 100 cc segment although it may not vacate the entry-level motorcycle business as a whole. The plan is to introduce a new range of aggressively priced motorcycles, which will be neither 100-cc nor four-stroke to attack the segment. The new entry-level product will be launched in a year. The platform will have a range of products, which will eventually replace its current entry-level products CT100 and Platina.

Bajaj will be moving away from four-stroke to the DTSi technology, which it feels will pack in better performance, fuel efficiency and emission for consumers at a price similar to the 100 cc / four-stroke products.