Bajaj to ramp up V15 production

Bajaj Auto's 150cc commuter motorcycle, the V15, has crossed the 100,000-unit sales mark within four months of its launch. The smart move to ride on a piece of India’s naval history is paying dividends to Bajaj Auto.

In March, sister publication Autocar Professional had reported about the success of the motorcycle during the month, with the company planning to ramp-up the production of the motorcycle to 1,000 units per day.

Speaking to Autocar Professional, Sumeet Narang, vice-president, marketing, Bajaj Auto, had said, “We are still ramping-up our daily production for the motorcycle and hope that we could make 1,000 bikes per day soon.” The motorcycle, which uses metal of the INS Vikrant (India’s first aircraft carrier) in its construction, was first unveiled ahead of the Auto Expo and commenced bookings subsequently after formally launching the motorcycle on February 25 at a price of Rs 61,832 (ex-showroom Maharashtra).

In May, the V15 touched its highest sales mark with 31,848 units despatched to customers as it moved up the Top 10 best-selling motorcycle chart to the eighth spot. Last month, the café-racer-inspired motorcycle continued its successful run with sales of 26,482 units. The Pune-based automaker sold 16,532 units of the BS-III-compliant V15 in March 2016 despite the Delhi government banning registrations of new two-wheelers not meeting the BS-IV emission norms. The subsequent lifting of the ban on March 30 helped in the sales of the bike with around 24,000 units sold in April, helping it debut in the Top 10 list of best-selling motorcycles. The Bajaj V15’s average monthly sales of 25,000 units along with the recent price reduction of the Pulsar 135LS is expected to boost the company’s sales in the coming months.

Takshak Dawda

Read our Bajaj V15 review