Bajaj counts on GDi tech for 2-wheelers as well

PUNE: Bajaj Auto, which launched its gasoline direct injection (GDi) autorickshaw on Saturday, believes the technology has tremendous scope for its two-wheelers, too.

Managing director Rajiv Bajaj said that the benefits in terms of increased mileage and reduced emissions made GDi an attractive option for the future.

This is especially critical, given the price of petrol and the need for better mileage as a result.

While CNG and LPG are less expensive auto fuels, their availability is confined to a few cities. In addition, creating infrastructure for retail outlets is not so simple.

Bajaj said that the company would eventually look at four-wheelers as a permanent option in the future, which means the traditional three-wheeler could soon be relegated to the sidelines.

Work is already under way to produce a one-tonne pickup at a new plant in Chakan in the next two years, for which an investment of Rs 750 crore has already been earmarked.

This could be on the lines of Tata Ace, at least from the viewpoint of application. The GDi for the autorickshaw is a Synerject (the joint venture between Orbital Corporation of Australia and Siemens VDO) system, which has now come into India

with Chennai-based UCAL as the licensed supplier. Some of the components have been developed locally for this initiative.

The company will launch the GDI autorickshaw in Pune next month, followed by Thiruvananthapuram and Mangalore, before it is available nationwide.

The present carburetted version will be phased out during the next 6-8 months. Those vehicles already on the roads can also be fitted with this technology.

Indications are that an agreement has been finalised with Bosch of Germany for a GDI system in its bikes but Bajaj refused to comment.

Observers believe that should this be true, the Bosch relationship could logically extend to the company’s small car being planned in an alliance with Renault and Nissan.

The $3,000 product is scheduled to debut in 2010.

Bajaj also said that he did not see too much happening on the hydrogen front in the near future and maintained that it was not an immediate solution as an alternative fuel.