Bajaj Auto Ltd (BAL) is one of the leading two & three wheeler manufacturers in India. The company is the largest exporter of two and three-wheeler in the country. Presently, it is engaged in development, manufacturing and distribution of automobiles such as motorcycles, commercial vehicles, electric two-wheelers etc. and parts thereof. Apart from this, it has 3 overseas subsidiaries, namely Bajaj Auto International Holdings BV,PT Bajaj Indonesia and Bajaj Auto (Thailand) Ltd. The Company's current installed capacity is 6.65 million units per annum.
On 29 November 1945, Bajaj Auto was incorporated under the name 'M/s. Bachraj Trading Corporation Private Limited'. In 1948, Bajaj Auto started selling imported two- and three-wheeler's in India. In 1959, Bajaj Auto obtained licence from the Government of India to manufacture two- and three-wheeler. In the year 1960, Bajaj Auto became a Public Limited Company. In the year 1970, Bajaj Auto rolled out its 100,000th vehicle. In 1971, Bajaj Auto launched three-wheeler goods carrier. In 1977, the company launched Rear Engine Autorickshaw.
On 19 January 1984, the foundation stone was laid for Bajaj Auto's new plant at Waluj, Aurangabad. On 5 November 1985, Bajaj Auto commenced production at Waluj plant.
In 1998, Bajaj Auto commenced production at its Chakan, Pune plant. In November 2001, Bajaj Auto launched its premium bike 'Pulsar'. In February 2003, Bajaj Auto launched Caliber115 in the executive motorcycle segment.
Pursuant to the Scheme of Arrangement of Demerger, Bajaj Holdings & Investments Ltd (BHIL, erstwhile BAL) was demerged into three undertakings with effect from the effective date, viz. 20 February 2008. The holding company operated in the segments, such as automotive, insurance and investment, and others. Considering the growth opportunities in the auto, wind-energy, insurance and finance sectors, the holding company de-merged its activities into three separate entities, each of which can focus on their core businesses and strengthen competencies.
The auto business of the holding company along with all assets and liabilities pertaining thereto including investments in PT Bajaj Auto Indonesia and in a few vendor companies transferred to Bajaj Investment & Holding Ltd (BHIL). In addition a total of Rs 15,000 million in cash and cash equivalents also transferred to Bajaj Investment & Holding Ltd. As the part of the scheme, Bajaj Holdings and Investment Ltd was renamed as Bajaj Auto Ltd (BAL). The appointed date of this de-merger was closing hours of business on March 31, 2007.
In April 9, 2007, the company inaugurated their green field plant at Pantnagar in Uttarakhand. In the first year of operations, the plant produced over 275,000 vehicles. The company's vehicle assembly plant at Akurdi was shut down from September 3, 2007 due to higher cost of production.
In November 2007, Bajaj Auto International Holdings BV, a wholly owned subsidiary company acquired 14.51% equity stake in KTM Power Sports AG of Austria, Europe's second largest sport motorcycle manufacturer for Rs 345 crore.
During the year 2007-08, the company launched XCD 125 DTS-Si and the Three-wheeler Direct Injected auto rickshaw. The Chakan plant completed the cumulative production of over 2 million Pulsar.
During the year 2009-10, the company expanded the production capacity of Motorised Two & Three Wheelers by 300,000 Nos to 4,260,000 Nos. The company launched Pulsar 220 F, Pulsar 180 UG, Pulsar 150 UG, Pulsar 135 LS and Discover DTS-si in the market.
During the year 2010-11, the company expanded the production capacity of Motorised Two & Three Wheelers by 780,000 Nos to 5,040,000 Nos. The company launched Avenger 220 DTS-i, KTM Duke 125, Discover 150 and Discover 125 in the market.
The company plans to maintain the capacity of two and three-wheelers at the current level of 5,040,000 numbers per annum during the year ending 31 March 2012. The 4 wheel vehicle development work is under progress and commercial launch of the first product from this platform is scheduled for 2012.
In 2012, Bajaj Auto tied up with Japan's Kawasaki in Indonesia. In 2013, the Company has introduced another variant of premium motorcycles under the Bajaj-KTM joint venture namely Duke 390cc for a price of Rs 1.83 lakh. The company also received 'CII Design Excellence Award'
In 2014, Bajaj Auto bagged order in Sri Lanka -People's Choice Bike of the Year - CNBC TV18 Overdrive Awards. The Company has also received Bike of the Year BBC Topgear Awards.
In 2015, Bajaj Auto has introduced the all-new Platina electric start 100 cc bike to the long-distance commuter.
On 8 August 2017, Bajaj Auto and Triumph Motorcycles UK announced global partnership whereby Bajaj will gain access to the iconic Triumph brand, and its great motorcycles, enabling it to offer a wider range of motorcycles within its domestic market and other international markets.
During the fiscal 2018, the company's Waluj Plant has clinched the National Energy Management Trophy 2017 for Excellent Energy Efficient Unit by Confederation of Indian Industry(CII). BAL's Chakan and Pantnagar plants have received ISO 14001 certification for upgraded standard ISO 14001:2015 from ISO 14001:2008.
In the FY 2018-19, BAL's commercial vehicles and Pantnagar plants underwent a detailed two-stage assessment for the Special Award by JIPM auditors. The auditors were appreciative of TPM methodology and the results achieved at both these plants. These plants were conferred with the Special Award for TPM Achievement.
During the fiscal 2019, the company has launched Quadricycle, QUTE, was successfully in Kerala, Gujarat, Odisha and Rajasthan. Also the FY 2019 was marked by a record export(2 million vehicles).
In the FY 2019-20, BAL's R&D had introduced 18 new products / upgrades and notable new products includes CHETAK ELECTRIC SCOOTER, KTM ADVENTURE 390. The R&D has upgraded 23 motorcycle variants and 12 commercial vehicle variants in a seamless manner to BS-VI during the last quarters of FY2020.
During the fiscal 2020,the company has received TPM Advance Special Award for its manufacturing plant at Chakan. Despite the lockdown in March 2020, the company has exported over 2.17 million vehicles. The FY2020 was a year of new product launches for KTM. The brand strengthened its presence in the 125cc premium sports bike with the launch of RC125.
During FY2020, the company has incorporated Bajaj Auto (Thailand) Ltd as wholly owned subsidiary in Thailand to set up an International Business Centre(IBC) and a R&D centre under this subsidiary.
During the FY2020,the company's exports were over 2 million units for the third year in a row.
As on 31 March 2021 ,the company's installed capacity is 6.33 million units per annum.
Q1 of FY22 has been a challenging quarter; the recovery over the past three quarters got undone with the second wave of COVID-19 which again led to restrictions and full or partial lockdowns. This resulted in weaker domestic demand, which was partially off-set with strong exports across all major geographies.
Bajaj Auto International Holdings BV (BAIH BV), a Netherlands based 100% subsidiary of Bajaj Auto Ltd, held 47.99% stake in KTM AG. BAIH BV, on 29 September 2021, swapped 46.5% stake in KTM AG for 49.9% stake in Pierer Bajaj AG.
In FY 2022, Company has five overseas subsidiaries, viz. PT Bajaj Auto Indonesia, Bajaj Auto International Holdings BV, Netherlands, Bajaj Auto (Thailand) Ltd., Thailand, Bajaj Auto Spain, S. L. and Bajaj Do Brasil Comercio De Motocicletas LTDA and two Indian subsidiaries viz. Chetak Technology Ltd. and Bajaj Auto Consumer Finance Ltd.
During the year 2021-22, Bajaj Auto Spain, S.L, Chetak Technology Ltd. (CTL), Bajaj Auto Consumer Finance Ltd. (BACFL) and Bajaj Do Brasil Comercio De Motocicletas Ltda. were incorporated as subsidiaries of the Company.
During the year 2022-23, new generation high end Pulsar N250 and F250 have been upgraded with a Twin Channel Anti-Lock Braking system (ABS) and steel braided rear brake hoses enhancing rider confidence and safety during braking. Urbanite (Chetak EV) was re-introduced as a best-in-class electric scooter in FY 2023.