Bajaj Chetak

Bajaj Chetak
The production halt is expected to be a setback on Bajaj Auto’s retail expansion plans for the Chetak

It has been a year since the Bajaj Chetak retro classic electric scooter’s launch but the company has been struggling to realize its full potential. The lifestyle product received over 50,000 expressions of interest and has registered sales of over 1,300 units – from just two launch cities – Pune and Bangalore. Bajaj is currently sitting on an pending order book of over 1,500 units. However, production bottlenecks has forced Bajaj to close bookings temporarily.
Bajaj Chetak price hike
Business Standard reports that Bajaj is planning to increase the price of the Chetak when the production resumes to a INR 1.5 lakh (ex-showroom). The electric scooter was launched in two variants with base Urbane variant priced at INR 1 lakh and top-end Premium variant priced at INR 1.15 lakh (both prices are ex-showroom, Pune).
It was earlier reported that Bajaj Auto has been making loss with every unit of Chetak sold at its launch price. The price hike is aimed at mitigating / eliminating this loss.
Buoyed by a strong response from the customers, Bajaj Auto is confident that the price hike will not adversely impact the scooter’s prospects. The product is said to have attracted all kind of buyers including very affluent ones who have never owned a two wheeler before.
Chetak sales were averaging 250-300 units per month before production got stopped due to shortage in semiconductor chips
Production bottlenecks
Soon after the Bajaj Chetak was launched amidst much fanfare, India went into a strict national level lockdown which brought production to a grounding halt. Subsequent logistical issues, compounded by a worsening relationship between India and China, adversely affected the import of critical components.
Bajaj did finally manage to resume production only to put it on hold again due to acute shortage of semiconductors on a global scale. The pause in production would set Bajaj Chetak’s retail expansion plans back significantly. So, a price hike seems inevitable to limit the damage.
Expansion plans and exports
Bajaj is currently working on increasing the local content in the Chetak in addition to reforming its supply chain network. These issues are expected to be resolved in the coming months, and the company is confident of extending the market coverage from current 2 cities to 24 cities by end of next fiscal.
Once the production constraints are sorted out and the Chetak settles into a rhythm in the domestic market, the company may look at exports. In Europe, the Bajaj Chetak could be positioned as a cheaper alternative to Vespa Elettrica. With the old continent taking fast strides in electric mobility domain, the Chetak seems like an attractive proposition. The retro classic styling is a big plus.
In addition to the Chetak, Bajaj’s electric scooter platform will also serve KTM and its subsidiary Husqvarna. A new production facility in Chakan is being readied for Bajaj’s electric vehicle push.
Source More

Bajaj Chetak
Production of Bajaj Chetak electric scooter was stopped in Dec due to shortage of semi-conductor chips

Even as the Chakan plant commenced production from June onwards, last month production again came to a standstill due to a global shortage in supply of semi-conductors / chips. 0 units of Bajaj Chetak were manufactured in Dec 2020. Sales were down to just 3 units in Dec 2020. This is also the first time TVS iQube sales have been higher than that of Bajaj Chetak since launch.
Total sales in the year 2020 stood at 1,337 units for Chetak. In comparison, TVS iQube sales were at 290 units for the same period. Bajaj Auto expects to overcome these issues and once again resume production over the next 2-3 months. The company has now announced plans to open up bookings in 24 new cities during the period April 2021 and March 2022.
Registrations Cross 50k
Even as the Bajaj Chetak e-scooter is only on sale in the two cities of Bengaluru and Pune, registrations have hit the 50,000 mark. Registrations are not same as booking. It does not involve any payment. Interested buyers who submit their name and number either via online website or at the dealership, is considered as a registration.
Production Constraint And New Plant
Earlier this year too, Bajaj had production issues with Chetak. Bajaj Auto relies on its supply of battery cells coming in from Wuhan and the mandatory lockdown and further constraints lead to issues in the supply chain.
Bajaj Chetak Sales vs TVS iQube in 2020
Plans are afoot to commence manufacturing of the Chetak e-scooter to capacity once these issues are sorted. Apart from that, the company is working on setting up a brand new plant in Chakan, near Pune. The facility will commence production from 2023 and will be utilized for the manufacture of high end bikes from KTM, Husqvarna and Triumph motorcycles along with the Chetak.
Bajaj Chetak e-Scooter
The Bajaj Chetak is priced at Rs.1 lakh. Presented in two variants – Urbane and Premium and six colour options, the Chetak is currently on sale via 13 dealerships in Bengaluru and 4 dealerships in Pune.
The Chetak e-scooter receives an all metal body with a circular headlamp, alloy wheels and keyless ignition. Its fully digital instrument panel reveals information on battery range and real time battery indicator while the scooter rides on 12 inch wheels.
Bajaj Chetak is powered by an IP67 rated, 3 kWh lithium ion battery offering 5.36 bhp peak power and 16 Nm peak torque. It receives two modes of Eco and Sport with range of over 95 kms in Eco mode and 85 km in Sport model when fully charged.
Suspension is via single sided trail link in the front and rear single shock. The company offers a 3 year/50,000 km warranty with the Bajaj Chetak. The Pune based automaker also claims that the life of the battery is around 70,000 kms and has been tested under varying road and weather conditions. More

Bajaj Chetak Electric
Bajaj electric Chetak scooter wholesales surpass the 1k units milestone

The electric two wheeler scene is India is small in volume, and isn’t likely to cause a dent in overall business anytime soon. While an electric future pursuit is ongoing, the way business is done has changed in a big way. Business no longer revolves around traditionally well known automakers with a large number of new independent auto business companies having stepped into the foray.
Nevertheless, it’s not all silent from the more well-known names even though they may be running the electric business on the back of a single product. Bajaj electric Chetak is the company’s lone EV offering, and has thus far in 2020 reported wholesales of just over 1k units.
Of course that’s a small percentage of Bajaj’s total business volume, and it’s these small steps that will help establish the EV business in a more noticeable manner in the years to come. While Bajaj has exited the scooter business in India, the electric Chetak has become its only scooter offering in an all new avatar.
Bajaj Chetak electric sales
Given that 2020 has created a dent in business operations, it’s likely that EV sales potential too has contracted even though companies have been able to report growth for electric vehicles. Bajaj electric Chetak wholesales for Q2 2020 is reported at 0. However, July to October showing has been on a growth chart. Q3 2020 sales surpassed 500 units. July sales is reported at 120 units, August at 192 units, and September at 288 units. The latter being the highest monthly reporting for the year.
2020
Chetak
iQube
Jan
21
0
Feb
100
0
Mar
91
18
Apr
0
0
May
0
0
Jun
0
30
Jul
120
23
Aug
192
23
Sep
288
7
Oct
258
32
Total
1,070
133
Q4 2020 has gotten off on a strong foot with October 2020 sales reported at 258 units. In fact current response is noticeably improved as compared to Q1 2020 when just over 200 units were reported sold. Some credit to recent sales boost can be attributed to pent-up demand and improved sales during the recently concluded festive period.
Bajaj and TVS electric two wheelers
Bajaj isn’t the only big manufacturer offering an EV in the two-wheeler market. TVS does the same with its iQube unit launched early in 2020. TVS iQube wholesales for the YTD 2020 is reported at 133 units. Sales hasn’t surpassed double digits in any of the three quarters concluded in 2020. Highest sales is reported in Q3 2020 as 76 units.
With efforts concentrated on the lakhs of units sold in a monthly basis, it’ll be a while until either of these companies are able to report high sales volumes for their electric models. In fact, it would be interesting to see at what rate new electric scooters and motorcycles are introduced by them considering regular petrol models are launched at a dime avdozen each year, even if its just a new skin or colour option.
For October 2020, FADA reported collective EV two-wheeler retail sales at 2,613 units. The number was an improvement on 2,222 units reported a year earlier. The collective electric two-wheeler market at last month accounted for 0.25 percent of the total domestic two-wheeler market. More