Bajaj VS400 will not be part of the Pulsar family hints Rajiv Bajaj - Report

Bajaj will establish a new brand for the motorcycle.

Bajaj Auto's Managing Director, Mr. Rajiv Bajaj, has more-or-less confirmed in a recent interview that the forthcoming Bajaj 'Pulsar VS400' won't be part of the Pulsar family. Instead, a new brand name will be established for the company's flagship motorcycle.

Mr. Bajaj is quoted saying -

It will be an interesting launch because it will not be in all probability a Pulsar. For now, let me just say that a 400 cc Pulsar makes as much sense as a 150 cc Royal Enfield. So, when we are getting into a different category, it would be wise to look at a new brand. So, that is a big move that I am happy to share with you today.

As for the delay in its launch (the Bajaj VS400 was expected to launch in mid-2016), Mr. Bajaj says that the company was focussing on building volumes for the oncoming festive season. He however confirms that the Bajaj VS400 will launch in the month of November, though an exact date was not given by him.

Further, he hints that the Bajaj VS400 will be an alternative to a Royal Enfield product, but not a direct competitor. Mr. Bajaj said that "Enfield has 85 percent market share in that space, so we have to get everything absolutely right from the brand to the product to the launch, to the quality and price and all of that". In all likelihood, the Bajaj VS400 will rival the Royal Enfield Himalayan on price. For reference, the Himalayan is priced at INR 1.56 lakhs, ex-Showroom, New Delhi.

Also read: 2017 Bajaj Pulsar 150, 180, 220 to launch in the coming weeks

The motorcycle will be "very good for the [company's] bottomline", Mr. Bajaj said. Based on reports, the Bajaj VS400 borrows the KTM Duke 390's 373.27 cc single cylinder liquid-cooled engine, with Bajaj’s DTS-i technology developing 34.50 hp. It also gets a slipper-clutch from the KTM, a recent report said.

[Source - MoneyControl]