Bajaj will ride KTM 390 to 80 countries

Made only at Bajaj Auto’s Chakan plant in Maharashtra, the new KTM Duke 390 will be exported to 80 countries.

Bajaj Auto, the country’s second largest bike manufacturer with a 47% stake in the Austria-based KTM, has expanded its KTM range to cater to domestic as well as international markets.

Indigenously developed, the bike will be exported to all the exiting international markets where KTM has a presence. That includes the US and other developed markets.

Bajaj currently sells the Duke 200 in India, while it exports two models, the Duke 125 and 200.

Amit Nandi, vice-president of the Bajaj Probiking division, a part of Bajaj Auto, said the Duke 390 will be a game-changer not only in India but globally as “there is very limited competition in this segment”.

The Duke 390 carries an introductory price of Rs 1.80 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

According to the company, the price is very competitive in the segment.

“The aggressive pricing comes from the fact that we want to make our bikes more accessible to a larger base of customers,” Nandi said.

The company sold 7,500 units of the Duke 200 last fiscal.

It is expecting a double-digit growth this fiscal with the new launch, though much of the volume is likely to come from the Duke 200.

The company currently has a manufacturing capacity up to 35,000 KTM bikes per annum which can be augmented to meet any higher demand.

Bajaj Probiking will launch the RC8 model in 2014 and is working on newer products in collaboration with parent Bajaj Auto.

“Despite the slowdown, the premium bike category has seen a significant growth driven by the new launches. We expect the growth to continue going ahead,” said Nandi.