Upcoming CNG motorcycle from Bajaj could be a much cheaper version of Freedom or it could be a completely new model – over or under current Freedom.
Bajaj Auto recently became the first company in the world to mass produce a fully operation CNG motorcycle. Called as the Freedom, the bike plays in the 125cc segment and will be gradually taken to various markets of the country – depending on the availability of CNG fuel.
Shortly after this, we came to know that TVS Motor is readying its CNG product which could also arrive soon. And since the interest in the motorcycle is immense, there may be other players that may also be working on this tech on their vehicles.
Bajaj does not want to let the momentum slip and has already planned its second CNG motorcycle. In an interview to CNBC TV18, Rajiv Bajaj, the MD of Bajaj Auto, officially confirmed that the second CNG motorcycle will be launched sometime in the second half of this financial year – which means we can expect it anytime from now till March 2025. Apart from the fact that it will be a motorcycle, no other details were revealed by the top honcho.
Just a few weeks back, there was a spyshot of what looked like a camouflaged Freedom, however, it wasn’t wearing the fill kit of the current model. You can check spy pics here. That – a much cheaper Freedom variant – could be the model Rajiv Bajaj may be talking about or we may see a completely new model under or over the debut Freedom 125.
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Bajaj expects its CNG portfolio to play a big part in its total sales. It says, with Freedom, it is addressing a massive market size that could be considered between 5-7 Lakh units a month. The company dispatched 2000 Freedoms in its first partial month and around 8000-10000 units the second month – the first full month of dispatches. Bajaj aims to take this to 40,000 units a month by January-February time period.
If Bajaj is able to reach this milestone and these turn into eventual sales, it would be a big boost for the brand – and it would also be hoping that majority of these buyers are crossing from other makers – specially its arch-rivals Hero and Honda.
