Depending on where in the world you’re from, motorcycles can mean many different things to you. For most of you in the US, motorcycles are a passion, a lifestyle, or perhaps just a hobby. But for folks in South America and Asia, motorcycles are absolutely essential for day-to-day mobility.
I’m writing this article in a coffee shop as I wait out a torrential downpour before heading to my work desk, and here in the Philippines, motorcycles greatly outnumber cars on any given street. The story’s pretty much the same in other Asian countries—India, in particular, which is considered by many as the motorcycle capital of the world.
Recent years have seen the Indian motorcycle market enter the global spotlight, too. As technology advances and the need for cheaper labor accelerates, big western brands have formed alliances with Indian manufacturers. Of course, this type of mutualism yields benefits for both manufacturers and end-users.
Take a look at Bajaj, the biggest motorcycle manufacturer on the face of the Earth when it comes to volume. In the Indian market alone, Bajaj sells hundreds of thousands of motorcycles each and every month. Surely, that volume is enough to keep the business well afloat. But as it would turn out, making so many motorcycles means that you have the skills, consistency, and capability to branch out. And this is exactly what’s happening to Bajaj as we speak.
Almost two decades ago, Bajaj entered a partnership with KTM, and it was largely responsible for developing and manufacturing what could be considered KTM’s saving grace—the 125, 200, 250, and 390 range of bikes. These bikes would go on to be massive hits in the global market, selling hundreds of thousands of units all over the world. This platform would later on give birth to the Husqvarna 200, 250, and 401 range, yet another saving grace for the Swedish brand.
And much more recently, Bajaj struck a big time deal with Triumph, as it handled the development of the Hinckley company’s Speed 400 and Scrambler 400X—two bikes that have raked in more than 60,000 unit sales as of September 2024—less than a year after its global debut. To put that into perspective, that’s about as many Ducati motorcycles were sold in the US in the entire 2023.
So clearly, Bajaj knows a thing or two about making pretty damn good small to middleweight motorcycles. And it’s doing all this without neglecting its workhorse models sold in India and other parts of the world.
In fact, Bajaj is investing some big money into Brazil, with a $10 million investment to expand its business in South America. Brazil is also home to Bajaj’s first manufacturing plant outside of India, so it’s clear that South America is a key market for Bajaj.
As for its home country of India, Bajaj manages to keep things rolling, too. Domestic sales are understandably extremely important for Bajaj, accounting for 64 percent of its total two-wheeler business. And in the second quarter of 2024, Bajaj posted an impressive 26-percent growth, selling 636,801 units.
This translates to quite an impressive 21-percent rise in profits, with Bajaj squeezing out a healthy 22.16 billion rupees (around $263.8 million USD) in Q2 2024, as against the company’s 18.36 billion rupees from the same period last year.
Clearly, Bajaj is on the road to world domination, and it’s doing this by staying true to what it knows how to do best. It’s teaming up with big western names while working backstage to deliver affordable, value-packed products, all while catering to the mass markets in Asia and South America.
Source: Reuters
