I feel that the debate of opinions about bajaj/honda is due to the way Mr. Bajaj has expressed himself in this interview. He has openly shown aggression against Honda which definitely doesn't go down well with many and used some really controversial phrases as in "the perception is that Honda can't make motorcycles. We have to keep that perception". Display of aggression can be welcome but I believe he could have been polite in his words, may be.

Now I would really love to know from Mr. Bajaj which section of people he referred who think or believe that Honda can't make motorcycles! I mean, this comment is just so lame that I would even feel embarrassed to argue against it, so I'll end my astonishment here!

Coming back to the hot topic, no doubt bajaj has shown the threat it is to its competitors, and it's seemingly moving in the right direction having partnered with KTM. The future of Bajaj motorcycles looks bright from here. He is, without doubt, overwhelmed with the phenomenal success of pulsars primarily. The pulsars' sales figures probably have surpassed his expectations as well.

Having said that, Mr. Bajaj simply can't play down a motorcycle company like Honda in this manner. May be he wants to attack the mentality, play mind games as well and probably frustrate Honda by flashing pulsars' oh-so-awesome sales figures! He has clearly targeted Honda in this particular interview while leaving Yamaha aside at the same time, probably because Bajaj feels that Yamaha can't threaten them in number games.

In this interview, he has highlighted his motorcycles' sales more than anything else giving an impression that this is what he cares about most and he seems to believe that having top sales is the way to be no.1. Well Mr. Bajaj, sales do play a major role in ranking but I hope he doesn't forget about the quality aspect that his motorcycles have lot of scope of improvement. They are slowwwly getting there but have a long way to go to pose a serious threat to the japanese when it comes to quality. However, I believe the P135 and latest P220s are proving very reliable indeed especially the former with its all new 4 valve engine. They are going in the right direction.

Also, Bajaj company is born here and they do enjoy the advantage of patriotism to an extent. It's true, even some xbhpians show that! And it didn't start with pulsars, it's there since the days of Chetak, remember "Humara Bajaj" ad? Moreover, Bajaj is a national player much more than it's presence internationally as opposed to Honda who is much more of a global player rather than just concentrating on a market like India. I guess this sort of presence has its set advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is you are present in many countries, multiple source of income! If you are not doing well in one particular country/market but doing well overall, you can still survive quite easily in your business. In this situation, a company like Honda primarily need to rethink their strategy to tackle that particular market. But Bajaj realizes that if it doesn't do well in its own country, then one can safely assume that they'll be heading to their end. They have so much more to lose if they fail in India itself. They can't try to assume a good presence internationally if their products fail in India. So obviously they'll do whatever they can to be no.1 here. And right now, they are heading in the right direction with their strategies and international partnerships. They are learning a lot, has so much more to learn and this should be reflecting in their future launches.

But I hope Mr. Bajaj, this confidence of yours doesn't become your ego and hit you back! Remember, you might be selling 5 times more than the japanese, but you are up against the JAPANESE! They don't rule the world market for no reason! My best wishes with you, and with japanese too

This is my "perception" of this interview

To become no.1 in India Honda needs to have a good product line-up. Current line-up is not upto the mark. They need atleast couple of 100cc bikes, completely mileage oriented and big dealer network to sell them.
Executive segment is in need for upgrades!! Shine, Stunner, Unicorn badly need updates. I think they will do well if Unicorn is positioned closer to SZ-R and cut Dazzler's price by couple of thousand rupees to turn on the heat in 150cc segment. They left a big gap from 150cc to 250 cc, may be they can introduce CBR150 to take on R15 & naked CBR250 if possible!!

On top of this.. they need to have commercials, which emphasize the fact that it's Honda's technology that was used all these years in Hero Honda bikes.


Well - just saw above comment from satellite :

I agree that Rajiv was indeed aggressive in this interview, but IMO Honda is the most arrogant of the automobile lot. I still remember when Nano was launched, everyone was praising it or expressing their disbelief and in general had something to say about it. But Honda's MD & CEO said and I quote "Nano, what Nano? Brio is the small car for us". And this is the kind of attitude even their dealers show towards customers. That is something clearly absent even with Toyota who are world's no.1 car maker, they treat customers with lot of respect. Honda will do very well if they take a leaf out of Toyota's book.

+100 very well said..... Honda do something

Yes I Agree You are a "TRUE MENACE" to Pulsars........
Just Kidding..........

!!!!!!!!!!HUNTO!!!!!!!!!...........

bajaj sells 5times more than the japanese bikes

its true but all has to understand that japanese bikes are not available in few places like tamil nadu and some other places.so only they can say that bajaj sells 5 times more than japan bikes...i saw an another advertisement that comparing splendor 100 with its discover 1500cc.shit its a worst thing i have heard.

What do you mean japanese bikes not available in Tamil nadu? are you kidding?

+1

demographics widely rule bike sales. TVS has been strong down south, HH up in North and Bajaj in the West. It depends on how these "natives" to some region are accepted in other regions.

Your comment doesn't make any sense.

Correct me if im wrong but doesnt Bajaj's R&D consult a foreigner(Italian i think) with all their R&D developments?
I dnt remember the name of the guy but he flys in n out of this country everytime Bajaj changes anything in their R&D section. Hope somebody remembers who he is.

Are you talking about Glynn Kerr? He is British.

People with sense should understand it well!!

What i meant in the first post is to win moto gp you need to make seriously good bikes. And what Bajaj said is that Honda can't make bikes? Can there be anything more stupid.

You need to develop good reading skills.. Rajiv talked about perception of Honda in Indian market, not about Honda's capabilities. Activa accounts for 40% of Honda's sales numbers in India. To put it the other way.. to masses Activa is synonymous with Honda.. while Pulsar is synonymous with Bajaj. In a way, what Rajiv said is correct, aam aadmi (not enthusiasts) recalls Honda as maker of Activa, not that of CBR250.. where as the moment you talk about Bajaj they remember Pulsar.

Bajaj Pulsar was developed by the product engineering division of Bajaj Auto in association with motorcycle designer Glynn Kerr Tokyo R&D (Wikipedia).

I read long time ago in auto magazine about the development of Pulsar. I cannot remember the details, but the design originated from Japan.

Yep thats the guy alright..

A Quote from his webpage which i read back in 08 i think:
"Glynn first worked with Bajaj in 1992, helping educate the R&D team in modern design procedures as well as working directly on a couple of projects since then. In 2000, they started a more formal long-term contract which is exclusive within India, and Glynn now makes regular trips to Pune for meetings and 3D model development. The first products - the Pulsar facelift and K60, developed in conjunction with Bajaj's in-house team - have only recently hit the market, and many new models are sure to be presented in the future."