Pulsar: Power to the people Varad More        22 June 2009

Bajaj Auto's latest launch continues to follow the company's same-old philosophy of bringing power to the masses and to increase the reach of leisurely motorcycling amongst more Indians.

Dawn of the 21st century saw many new developments in the Indian economy as well as the society. Primary reason for this was the growing population of youth in India and the energy residing within the young masses. They had enthusiasm, curiosity and courage to walk the less trodden path. Moving away from stereotyped outlook of safe is good and instead opting to take calculated risks - the Indian youth had already taken charge of the nation. The youth was going fast past the Indian cliches and it freely started accepting global ideas and concepts. 'Cool' of the 90s became 'Hep' in 2001 and Pentium IVs were passe. The youth was already readying for Intel Core 2 Duo. The Hero Honda Splendor was for dads. The college kids yearned for the Hero Honda CBZ. The sales of the CBZ picked up, even as it was sold at a hefty premium.

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As the two-stroke era came to an end, speed freaks in India were left with no choice apart from the CBZ and then the TVS Fiero. Bajaj Auto noticed this change in taste of the buyers and instead of following the safe mileage conscious commuter path, young and dynamic Rajiv Bajaj decided to take a calculated risk to enter the upcoming Indian performance segment. His decision faced stiff opposition from shareholders as well as the directors. However, Rajiv Bajaj and his team of select few passionate engineers from Bajaj R&D decided to go ahead with the project to build an all-out performance bike for India. Some help came from the Tokyo R&D team and motorcycle design guru Glynn Kerr, who has been a consultant with Bajaj Auto for over a decade.

The final product was ready for launch in 2001 when it was introduced to the industry as the - Bajaj Pulsar with two different variants on offer - a 150cc and an 180cc. Apart from performance one of the most determining factor of the Pulsar was its super-competitive pricing. The Pulsar 150 was priced approximately Rs. 10,000 cheaper than the Hero Honda CBZ and it also boasted of better fuel efficiency with comparable performance. The Pulsar 180 was the most obvious choice of the serious enthusiast who only cared for speed and with a top speed of 125km/h and 40kmpl in return with a three grand cheaper price-tag than the CBZ, meant an outright steal for him.

First reactions amongst the market were mixed and many had apprehensions since Bajaj Auto's image was more associated with scooters than motorcycles and forget performance motorcycles! But it didn't take long for Bajaj Auto to change this perception. With smart marketing ideas targeting the youth and highlight on the cool quotient of the Pulsars coupled with their affordability, gave the company a solid edge over its rivals. Pulsars soon became a rage amongst the young and old with everyone thronging the Bajaj dealerships. In a span of two years, the Pulsar brand had established itself in the market as the most obvious choice for 150cc buyers. It offered unmatched value-for-money and every college guy anted one for his commute.

The Pulsars also rekindled the performance biking flame in India as it gave birth to several bikers who were now introduced to performance motorcycling at an affordable price and without compromising too much on fuel efficiency. After all, in a country dominated by 100cc commuters, the Pulsar and CBZ owners had something they could boast about - speed and style. The Pulsars brought like-minded bikers together and gave that much-needed boost to the biking community in India. Biker clubs emerged in every corner of the country. This is largely accredited to the Pulsar's price factor, which was highly economical as the Indian market progressed further and people had more disposable income giving them the freedom to opt for more aspirational products like the Pulsar over boring commuters.

Now the thrills were not limited only to the rich but even the average Joe biker, who could experience true performance and the joy of riding a fast motorcycle. With the new 2009 Bajaj Pulsar 220 DTSi, Bajaj Auto once again plans to chart the same course in the evolving performance bracket in India. While rivals like TVS, Honda and Yamaha are offering 150cc premium products in the Rs. 65-70,000 bracket, the Bajaj Auto flagship will ply in the same segment albeit with better performance and more features. Overall the Indian biking scenario is looking well set for the battle of the giants in 2009.