2 Bajaj Chetak Scooters, 6 New Pulsars Incoming & More!

Rakesh Sharma (Executive Director, Bajaj), in a recent earnings conference called revealed a LOT about upcoming bikes from both Bajaj and KTM! All you need to know about it here: 

1. Bajaj Chetak News 

We already know a more affordable Bajaj Chetak variant is incoming and it was also spotted testing last week. Rakesh Sharma has confirmed that the brand will be launching it in the first quarter (of the financial year 2024-25) itself and since April is practically over, we think the scooter will be launched sometime in May 2024. And alongside that, Bajaj will also update the Chetak in the fourth quarter of FY 2024-25 (January, February or March 2025).  

In terms of expansion plans, the Chetak brand has 200 stores as of now and Sharma said that they intend to take the number up to 600 in the first half of FY 2024-25 (likely by the end of November 2024). Bajaj’s focus on the Chetak brand has really picked up pace and it shows in the results too because Rakesh also claimed that nearly 40,000 Chetak units were sold in the last quarter of FY 2024. Even the market share of Chetak went up from 5 percent to 13 percent in the past 12-odd months. In fact, from April 2023 - February 2024, Chetak’s sales saw a more than 3.5 times increase over the same period in the previous FY. 

2. Bajaj CNG Bike Details  

Another bike we’re very intrigued about is the upcoming Bajaj CNG bike, for the world has never seen a mass-produced CNG bike. It was last spied testing earlier this month and now Bajaj has revealed that the CNG bike will even have the option to switch to petrol (for the time when you run out of CNG), something we had predicted more than a month ago. Another interesting bit that was revealed, was that Bajaj has a massive 88 percent share in India’s 3-wheeler CNG segment. And with that, Rakesh Sharma addressed the apprehension around CNG bikes’ safety. Given their experience in the 3-wheeler CNG segment, he said that Bajaj knows what they’re doing and will put the CNG bike through its fair share of tests to ensure maximum safety for the users. What he also claimed was that the CNG bike will “halve the commuting expenses of the common man”. That’s quite something and we’re eager to see how that pans out. 

Rakesh Sharma is also very hopeful about the CNG bike (and CNG vehicles in general) because CNGs seem to provide a nice middle ground between petrol-powered vehicles and EVs. It's a more affordable way to commute as compared to petrol-powered vehicles (thanks to lower cost per unit and higher mileage) while not having one of the biggest downsides of EVs, which is charging time. In fact, even in running costs, he said that CNGs are only “about 10% to 12% more expensive to run per kilometre than electrics”. 

3. Upcoming Bajaj Pulsars 

Of course Rakesh Sharma had something to say about Bajaj’s most iconic brand: Pulsar. He said “6 models will be launched in H1 of FY '25 (by the end of September 2024)”, starting with the biggest one in May, which of course we know will be the Bajaj Pulsar NS400. In fact, pictures of the Pulsar NS400 were leaked recently and this is what the biggest Pulsar looks like. 

4. Upcoming KTM Big Bikes  

Coming to what was arguably the most exciting news for us enthusiasts: KTM big bikes might be coming (back) to India soon! Rakesh said that “In FY '25, we will introduce the big bikes of KTM in select cities” and that’s indeed very exciting to hear. Given the popularity of the middleweight segment, it would make the most sense for KTM to bring the 890 Duke and the 890 Adventure to India, at least to begin with.  

The 890 Adventure was actually spotted in India about a year and a half ago and we’d be kicked if it finally came here. Given how this segment is heating up with the recent launches of the Honda XL750 Transalp, new-gen Suzuki V-Strom 800 DE, the 2024 Triumph Tiger 900 range and the rather delulu-level expensive Aprilia Tuareg 660, the 890 Adventure would be the perfect bike to further spice things up. 

On the other hand, the 890 Duke will be the perfect bike to rival the rather popular Triumph Street Triple R. But then again, given how well the Street Triple is priced, KTM will also have to be competitive. 

5. Hydrogen-powered two-wheelers

Recently, Bajaj appointed Abraham Joseph as the managing director of Chetak Technology Limited, the Pune-based bikemarker’s electric sub-brand. In a statement, Bajaj added that the Chetak sub-brand “...will explore the potential of hydrogen vehicles, further expanding Bajaj Auto's ability to deliver technologically differentiated products”.

That said, a hydrogen-powered two-wheeler is still a LONG way from becoming reality. Manufacturers have tried to get onto the Hydrogen bandwagon. For example, TVS’ patent back in 2022 made us think that the brand was en route to create a hydrogen-powered scooter. Heck, even the big 4 Japanese brands (Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki and Yamaha) got the approval to develop a hydrogen powered engine. But all these developments were more than a year ago and we haven’t really heard anything ever since. None of the manufacturers have been able to make it a reality and if you’re wondering why, here’s our story about the pros and cons of Hydrogen-powered bikes.  

In sum, Bajaj is looking to tackle multiple verticals, be it CNG, EVs or the good ol’ petrol-powered bikes, all at once. And while it does sound very ambitious, we are hopeful Bajaj will be able to pull it all off, given the brand’s sheer scale and the popularity the brand commands.