Apr 10, 2013, 11.21 PM IST

Bajaj launches Ninja 300 at Rs 3.5 lakh; to phase out 250R

Bajaj Auto  today said it hopes to sell around 2,000 units of the premium sports bike from the Kawasaki Ninja platform launched today, which is priced at Rs 3.5 lakh. The new 'Ninja 300' is the fourth of the Kawasaki Ninja range of products launched in the country and the company said it will phase out the Ninja 250R model soon.
"We have sold 3,500 Ninja family bikes (250R and 650R models) since the first launch in 2009. We are planning to sell 1500-2,000 units of the Ninja 300 by the end of the fiscal," Bajaj Auto managing director Rajiv Bajaj told reporters at the much-awaited launch here.

He also said with this the company will phase out Ninja 250R model launched last August and the new model, Ninja 300 will be sold and serviced through its Probiking stores, the retail chain for premium bikes. Priced at Rs 3.5 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), the Ninja 300 replaces the Ninja 250R.

The new 300cc Ninja has a host of features which come from Kawasaki's bigger super-sports bikes like ZX-10R, ZX-6R and ZX-14 R, representing the Japanese bike major's racing technology edge, Kawasaki India spokesman Yuji Horiuchi said. Stating that the Ninja 300 would replace and improve upon the Ninja 250R, Horiuchi said, "the Ninja 250R has been a great success in the domestic market with more than 3,000 bikes sold till date and expressed the hope that the Ninja 300 will take this number even higher.

" When asked about the impact of the just-conlcued alliance between TVS and BMW for super premium bikes under the 500 cc category on his sales, Bajaj said, he does not see any threat from the tie-up.

Md. Shane Haider
pgdm 2nd sem .