Bajaj unveils 2 concept ‘Lite’ cars, Blade - Scooter, Sports Bike and new Discover DTS-I
Everyone is eagerly waiting for the TATA’s one lakh car which will be unveiled tomorrow i.e Thrusday, Jan 2008 . But interestingly Bajaj came forward and unveiled new ‘Lite’ car range. The car will cost around $3,000 (Rs 117,000). Bajaj Auto expects to launch its small car in the next four years in partnership with Renault and Nissan. The car has a tall-boy appearance at the rear, which is akin to the Santro and Wagon R while the front is on the lines of Hyundai’s recently launched i-10. The gearshift is on the dashboard, again a feature in the i-10. The choice of manual transmission or gearless would also be made once the project begins to take better shape. Interestingly, the project is an exclusive global alliance for Bajaj Auto with Renault and Nissan which means that the car could be manufactured in locations beyond India. Renault chief Carlos Ghosn has already announced his company’s plans to use India as base to develop a $3,000 (Rs 1.2 lakh) car for global markets.
Bajaj also launched its new premium scooter ‘Blade’ most probably to compete with Kinetic’s ‘Blaze’, Two new motorcycles - XCD 125 cc DTS-i Sprint and Discover 150 cc DTS-i . The 125 cc motorcycle segment is getting crowded hence the upgrade of Discover to 150 cc.
The Rs 1.2 lakh figure comes from the target pricing of $3,000 indicated some time ago by Renault and Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn, but Rajiv Bajaj, managing director of Bajaj Auto, is clear that his small car will not be all about price. Which proved the rumor of Bajaj with TATA wrong.
Info
Published on Wednesday, Jan 9th, 2008 at 4:32 pm under categories : Auto News, BajajTags :
Leave a comment »