Bajaj Auto readies Pulsar 150 facelift

Bajaj Auto is currently working to give its popular Pulsar 150cc a makeover. This will primarily include cosmetic changes and, according to sources in the know, a bit of upgrades on the front of rideability as well.

Powered by the four-stroke, single-cylinder, air-cooled, 149cc engine equipped by Bajaj’s proven DTS-i technology, the Pulsar 150 (along with the Pulsar 180) was the first bike in India which kick-started the performance race in the premium commuter bike segment. The Pulsar 150cc and 180cc rolled out in 2001 and got digital twin spark ignition (DTS-i) tech in 2002-03.

While two industry insiders with knowledge of this project validated the development to Autocar Professional, one of them disclosed that “the facelift of Pulsar 150 was long due and the company is working to shortly introduce the same in the market. The new, revamped variant will primarily get cosmetic changes and also possibly some minor changes to the 150’s riding dynamics. This would surely give a substantial sales boost to the Pulsar line of bikes in the near future.”

In a bid to boost sales of its best-selling Discover line of bikes, the company has launched new variants such as the 100M (in October 2013, powered by 102cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled engine with DTS-i tech) and the 125M (in March 2014, powered by 124.6cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled, DTS-i tech-equipped engine).

Bajaj Auto has registered flat growth of 1.3 percent in March 2014 with sales of 270,591 units (March 2013:  267,037 units). For 2013-14, it sold 3,422,416 bikes, down 8.9 percent year-on-year (April 2012-March 2013: 3,757,105 units). 

Bajaj's Pulsar 150 competes against Yamaha’s FZ-16, FZ-S and the Fazer (all using the same 153cc, single-cylinder engine), Hero’s CBZ Xtreme, Hunk and Achiever and Honda’s CB Unicorn and the Unicorn Dazzler. With Hero MotoCorp upgrading its Xtreme shortly, Suzuki Motorcycles’ all-new 150cc offering Gixxer (commercial launch slated for June-July 2014) and Mahindra Two Wheelers already working on its 160cc motorcycle project, the trend in this segment indicates that the established players of this segment (Bajaj Auto, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India and TVS Motor Company) will certainly plan activities to gain market share in the near future.