Bajaj Builds 100,000 Bikes in a Month

Talk about a record... Indian bike manufacturer Bajaj broke all records at its Pantnagar plant in India this month by producing no less than 100,000 bikes. And it targets even more, as it already plans a major expansion of the facility.

The record is attributed to the booming Indian economy, with a motorcycle market which was able to absorb considerably more bikes than in the past. The expansion to the plant, which is scheduled to be completed in January next year, will ramp up the production from 1.2 million units per year to 1.8 million.

The achievement is even more considerable if we take into account that Bajaj is producing only two models at the plant, the Platina and Discover. According to Business Standard, Bajaj currently holds 34 percent of the Indian motorcycle market.

“As compared to all the other plants of the company, the production at Pantnagar last month was the highest reaching to 100,000-mark for the first time,” a company official was quoted as saying by Business Standard.

In July this year, the company outlined its plans of producing a new low-cost vehicle for the Indian market together with French manufacturer Renault and its partner Nissan. The car, which will be manufactured at the Waluj plant in Aurangabad will begin to roll out in India in 2012.

Even if Renault has stated that the new car will not be targeting Tata's Nano, the $2,500 price the car will be sold for is a clear statement of who the target customers are. Bajaj plans to produce 400,000 units each year.