PT Bajaj Indonesia is seeking to double its Pulsar sport motorcycle sales from 11,954 units in 2009 to around 24,000 this year, with the launch of its new sport motorcycle called the Bajaj Pulsar 135 Light Sport (LS).
So far, a large portion of the sport motorcycles market in Indonesia has been focused on larger engine capacities, high performance and high costs, president director of Bajaj Indonesia KS Grihapathy said after the launching ceremony on Wednesday.
As a result, he said, sales of sport motorcycles in Indonesia accounted for only 8 percent of the total market, far less than the 80 percent in India, Brazil, Argentina and Mexico.
“So, it is a big challenge for two-wheeled vehicle manufacturers to make sport motorcycles that have a high performance but that are affordable,” he said.
The Pulsar 135 LS would be officially released in June, and was expected to sell for Rp 14.7 million (about US$1,630).
The motorcycle market remained promising in Indonesia where the motorcycle purchasing power was still growing, he said.
According to the Indonesian Motorcycle Industry Association, in the first quarter of this year national sales of motorcycles increased 34 percent to 1.66 million units.
The market is still dominated by the Japanese brands Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki.
Grihapathy said while Pulsar had an engine capacity of 135cc, its performance was better than its competitors with 150cc engines.
“I don’t want to name the competitors which offer 150cc or 160cc motorcycles with a performance close to Pulsar, but the price is almost 20 percent more,” he said, adding that his company would produce about 2,000 Pulsars per month starting this June.
“We are optimistic that Indonesian consumers will welcome any new products, technology and offerings, including our new four-valve product,” he added.
Grihapathy said the penetration of high-tech products in Indonesia was much faster than in any other country.
“I think our motorcycles will attract Indonesian consumers because we also provide after-sale services and spare parts,” he said.
The Pulsar 135 LS would strengthen the overall Bajaj sales in Indonesia, which had already reached 38,000 units since 2006, he said.
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