Rewriting the rules - Rajiv Bajaj's daring bet

After revolutionising motorbikes with the Pulsar, Rajiv Bajaj is trying once again to redefine his company with the novel, intra-city 4-wheeler, the RE60. Will it work?

A handful of Marathi-speaking Bajaj employees on a misty cold morning in Delhi stand guard next to Bajaj Auto's new RE60 four-wheeler at the biennial Auto Expo, India's premier international auto exhibition.

Sporting the typical Bajaj white jersey and jackets these middle-aged men have been with the company for decades, witnessing its transformation from an iconic scooter maker to a performance bike maker, and are intrigued by the attention their company's newest invention is gathering.

"Our Pulsars have been market favourites for years and though we have not showcased any bikes this time around, see the excitement on the faces of these visitors," says one of the attendants gleefully.

He was talking about the RE60, Bajaj's production-ready, four-seater passenger car developed entirely in-house by India's number two bike maker after five years of development work including multiple strategy changes and several delays.

However, unlike the Tata Nano, the RE60's target customer according to its managing director Rajiv Bajaj, is the Indian auto rickshaw owner.

Text: Swaraj Baggonkar, Business Standard