Bajaj Auto, once India's largest manufacturer of two-wheelers, is preparing to debut its all-new electric Chetak model assembled out of its new manufacturing facility by the middle of 2022. This time round, they're making sure to get the price point right to avoid challenges of the kind they faced over the Bajaj Chetak EV 2021.
For those who missed the action, Bajaj launched its electric scooter and christened it the Chetak to evoke nostalgia around India's first indigenous two-wheeler. Due to high demand halted online bookings multiple times. If that was not enough, they hiked the prices, much to the chagrin of aspiring owners.
The two price hikes took the cost up by close to a third of its launch price in January of 2020. The first hike was of Rs.5,000 and the second of Rs.27,000. The bike, which cost between Rs.1 lakh and Rs. 1.15 lakh now costs Rs.1.42 lakhs. The reason being that the company got its pricing wrong resulting in losses for every unit sold.
Bajaj Chetak EV - indigenisation and price drop
The company would be hoping for a reduction in manufacturing costs once the new state-of-the-art plant goes on stream. The plant built at Akurdi in Pune, can produce 500,000 vehicles per year and enable the development of a components ecosystem in and around the factory, thus reducing import-dependencies.
A report published in RushLane suggests that Bajaj Auto is mindful of the chipset challenges it faced post the pandemic-led lockdown in March 2020. Now, they plan to fulfil a substantial part of their component requirements locally, though it is not yet clear whether indigenisation would be 100 per cent.
However, we could be sure about one thing. That the upcoming Chetak EV may have a lower price tag, thanks to the levels of indigenisation. Given that the company also has a built up a large manufacturing capacity, it appears as though Bajaj would look to make profits on scale and not through higher per unit margins.
According to reports around the new Bajaj Chetak EV, the vehicle could be delivering a peak output of 4.2W and continuous output of 4KW as against its predecessor that delivered 4.08 and 3.8KW respectively.
The current Chetak EV retails at Rs 1.48 lakhs, which is slightly higher when compared to its competition like Ola S1 and TUV iQube with around Rs 1 lakh price tag. Although multiple EVs are cheaper and claim to be a better performer than the current Chetak. The new Chetak 2022 surely has an opportunity to dominate the EV scooter market with an affordable price tag.
Bajaj Chetak Electric - models, features and price
Bajaj Chetak electric currently has two variants — Urbane and Premium. Apart from different color options, the main difference is the inclusion of drum brakes on the former, and disc brakes on the latter.
The rest of the specifications are identical, which include a 4kW motor that is capable of producing 16 Nm of torque. A 3kWh lithium-ion battery powers the scooter, and has an estimated range of 95+ km in the eco mode, and 85+ km on the faster sport mode. The top speed is around 80kmph.
Bajaj Auto also increased the price of its electric two-wheeler. The Chetak, a name that was tantamount to affordable personal transportation, comes in a couple of variants – Urbane and Premium and are now priced at Rs. 1,42,620 and Rs 1,44,620 respectively.
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