While several manufacturers of premium motorcycles and powersports vehicles all over the world are feeling the heat amid uncertain economic and geopolitical times, manufacturers over in Asia, particularly India, are enjoying growing sales.
This is exactly the case with Bajaj, the world’s biggest motorcycle manufacturer in terms of volume. The Indian manufacturer recently launched the Freedom 125, the brand’s first-ever CNG-powered motorcycle, and as it would turn out, this thing struck a chord with the Indian masses.
You see, the Freedom 125 was a project by Bajaj to offer a more affordable two-wheeler that ran on alternative fuel, in this case, compressed natural gas. And as it would turn out, a lot of commuters in India shared the desire for affordable, efficient, and no-frills mobility. Since opening orders in the market, Bajaj has already sold more than 20,000 units of its CNG-powered machine. More specifically, Bajaj sold 272 units in the last two weeks of July, 4,111 units in August, 4,937 units in September, and get this—a whopping 11,041 units in October.
And now that we’re just a few days into November, Bajaj has already sold 581 Freedom 125s in the first three days of November. That’s pretty crazy, and nothing short of a sales success, if you ask me. But what makes the Freedom 125 so special, and what can manufacturers in the rest of the world learn from this seemingly negligible small-displacement commuter available only in the India market?
Well, for starters, it’s cheap. And I mean really cheap. It carries a price tag starting at 95,000 Rupees, or the equivalent of about $1,129 USD. That’s about as much money you’d have to pay for a new iPhone 16 Pro. But apart from being cheap, it serves a purpose. It’s practical and is proving to be a dependable means of mobility for those who buy it.
But even better still, the bike has received generally positive reviews in terms of its build quality and overall performance. And let’s be real, just by looking at it, you know that this thing is fun to ride—it doesn’t really matter how slow it is, or how bereft of fancy tech it is, either.
The reception of the Freedom 125 was so good, in fact, that Bajaj plans on ramping up its production capacity from 10,000 units all the way to north of 30,000 units by the end of 2025. But it’s speculated that Bajaj will ramp up production much sooner, possibly even as early as January 2025.
So yeah, it’s clear that practicality infused with affordability sells. And Bajaj was able to achieve this all without splurging on fancy tech, cutting-edge displays, and next-gen connectivity. They’re literally selling a barebones motorcycle that does nothing more than shuttle you from A to B. And if anything, the Freedom 125 is proof that you can’t go wrong with simple.
But let me ask you this. What if a big bike brand, say Harley-Davidson, were to launch a new iteration of the Sportster, but one that ditched all the fancy shit that drives bikes’ prices to the moon? Envision a modern-day evocation of the Sportster 883 with an upright seating position, a punchy, air-cooled motor, and no fancy tech. I’m talking barebones stuff, like analog gauges, no traction control, and perhaps even no ABS.
Now imagine that Harley was able to price it south of the $10,000 USD mark—nearly half that what a decked out Sportster S would command. Would you buy this bike? Personally, I probably would. And quite frankly, simple bikes like these just might be what will breathe new life to the industry given the current situation.
Source: AutoCar India
