Bajaj Auto's 'biggest' Pulsar NS400Z at Rs 1.85 lakh hopes to woo 'new buyers'
Bajaj Auto’s ‘biggest’ Pulsar NS400Z at Rs 1.85 lakh hopes to woo ‘new buyers’
Bajaj Auto is cranking up its product pipeline with the launch of what its calling as the ‘biggest’ Pulsar – the NS400Z – positioned as a “performance-focused design”. The middleweight bike, which is now on sale in the country, will be available at an introductory price of Rs 1.85 lakh, (ex-showroom Delhi ).
The Pune-based company has announced that this price is a limited offer for a month, with deliveries set to begin in the first week of June and bookings are now open for a token amount of 5,000. The biggest Pulsar will be pitted against the likes of the Triumph Speed 400, KTM 390 Duke and the upcoming Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450.
“Pulsar started the shift in the culture towards sports motorcycles in India,” said Rajiv Bajaj, MD Bajaj Auto, while unveiling the model adding “This was the right time to launch what is being called as the ‘biggest’ Pulsar ever.”
Powered by a 373cc liquid-cooled engine mated to a six-speed gearbox, delivering 40 PS power and 35 Nm torque, the company claims the NS400Z will have ride-by-wire electronic throttle, with four ride modes-Road, Rain, Sports and Offroad – to optimize ride power. The high-performance Pulsar will have a top speed of 154 km/h, as claimed by the company.
Bajaj added that the Pulsar range has been a “key product” in the company’s portfolio for over 24 years, with 1.8 crore units sold over two decades. In his view, “For a brand franchise as strong as Pulsar, investment is not going to be a problem, but the company could have it a little earlier to the market.”
The new Pulsar will be available in 4 colours: Glossy Racing Red, Brooklyn Black, Pearl Metallic White, and Pewter Grey. It also gets full LED lighting, a digital instrument cluster with a separate display for turn-by-turn navigation, and Bluetooth connectivity.
While unveiling the product, Bajaj Auto revealed that the new Pulsar has been improved with an LCD display, lap timer, traction control and advanced breaking system (ABS).
At the launch event, Sarang Kanade, President – Motorcycle Business, Bajaj Auto said, “The Pulsar NS400Z is a great motorcycle for riders looking to start their biking journey or upgrade to a higher-capacity motorcycle.”
Last month, in a conversation with Moneycontrol, Bajaj Auto talked about the new Pulsar and said the company aims to attract new set of buyers through the offering.
“The new Pulsar will be quite different from the Triumph modern classics and will be more of a powerful, high-performance street bike designed to make riding thrilling. What I can also foresee is that there will be a significant set of Pulsar 125-250cc owners who are looking to upgrade to a higher-powered Pulsar,” Rakesh Sharma, ED, Bajaj Auto had said.
At the launch event, Bajaj Auto shared some numbers about Pulsar’s strong legacy, having sold 1.8 crore units of this brand till date, earning Rs 10,000 crore for the company since its launch in 2021.
The Pulsar has been very regularly upgraded over the years by Bajaj Auto and kept in sync with the changing times. It is also among Bajaj’s top sellers the world over, the two-wheeler company has said in the past. In FY23, Pulsar as a brand grew by 33% and sold over 10 lakh units annually in the domestic motorcycle market.
Bajaj Pulsar has been present in the 125cc as well as the 150cc segment, clocking growth of 20% and 27% YoY respectively, during FY23. The company has already declared plans for ambitious bike launches this year, lining up six new models in H1FY25, beginning with the new NS400 Pulsar.
Bajaj hinted at more developments in the pipeline, stating, “The Z in the NS400Z is a clue that there is more to come very soon.”
Bajaj Auto shares have surged by 33 percent since January and nearly doubled in the last 12 months. The shares have outpaced rivals Hero MotoCorp and Eicher Motors on 12-month basis.