INDIA'S MOST ADVANCED 100CC BIKE LAUNCHED

Discover 100 T

Bajaj Auto launched India's first 100cc premium motorcycle Discover 100 T at Rs 50,500. This Bajaj bike is the most expensive 100cc bike in the country. The bike comes equipped with Bajaj Auto's patented 4-valve DTS-i technology, the Discover 100 T delivers a good power output of 10bhp, which is 30 percent more than the other 100cc motorcycles. Bajaj Auto claims that this bike delivers a fuel efficiency of 87 kilometer per litre, which is quite impressive with these power output figures.

K Srinivas, president (Motorcycle buisiness), Bajaj Auto said, "The steady growth of the more expensive 100 cc bikes at the cost of the cheaper models is a clear evidence of this. The Discover 100T delivers power of 125 cc motorcycle and mileage of a 100 cc."

The company says, the mass market segment wherein 5.5 lakh units are sold every month is getting further dissected into sub-segments namely A1, wherein bikes like Platina and Hero HF are sold between Rs 36,000 to Rs 40,000, A2 segment which includes bikes like Splendor, Passion and its own Discover 100 Rs 41,000 to Rs 45,000 and the A3 segment has motorcycles like Honda Dream Yuga and Hero MotoCorp's Passion Pro, which are priced between Rs 46,000 to Rs 51,000 at present.

Thus Bajaj Discover 100 T is positioned in the A3 segment, where Bajaj Auto didn't have any products available till now. Bajaj Auto is hoping to sell around 40,000 to 45,000 units per month of this new Discover 100T. The company says with the existing Discover 100, it has only 20 per cent market share in the mass market category, with the launch of Discover 100T, it is hoping to increase its market share in the segment to 30 per cent within the next couple of years.

Bajaj Auto has developed this model with a minimal expenditure of Rs 5 crore to Rs 6 crore, but it is based on an all new Discover platform, which already has spawned out Bajaj Discover 125 ST. Bajaj Auto invested Rs 25 crore to Rs 30 crore on this new Discover platform. The company is planning to introduce one more motorcycle on the similar platform in 2013. The Discover 100 Tourer will take on the likes of Hero MotoCorp Passion Pro and Honda Dream Yuga, which will help Bajaj Auto increase its presence in the market, where it currently enjoys 20 per cent market share.