Bajaj Auto Ltd (Bajaj Auto), the leading Indian two-wheeler and three-wheeler manufacturer announced an investment of INR 300 crore (USD 40 million) for a brand new unit at its Akurdi plant in Pune for manufacturing electric vehicles.
Akurdi is the same place and site where the original Chetak scooter factory, that made Bajaj Auto a household name in India, was manufactured. The company plans to produce 500,000 EVs per annum through this facility and the first vehicle from this unit is expected to be rolled out by June 2022.
"In 2001 Bajaj 2.0 took off on the roaring Pulsar, in 2021 Bajaj 3.0 arrives on the charming Chetak. Going forward, for the Bajaj portfolio, except for implementing one state-of-the-art ICE platform that is currently under development, all our R&D drive train resources are now laser-focused on creating EV solutions for the future," commented Rajiv Bajaj, Managing Director, Bajaj Auto Ltd.
"This alignment reflects our belief that light electric vehicles for sustainable urban mobility is an idea whose time may finally have come."
In addition to the INR300 crore investments made by Bajaj Auto, a number of other vendors are expected to further invest to the tune of INR 250 crore (USD 33 million).
Bajaj shared that the new unit is spread over half a million sq. feet and will employ about 800 employees. The plant will have advanced robotic and automated manufacturing systems for all operations including logistics and material handling, fabrication and painting, assembly, and quality assurance.
With the latest investment and advanced manufacturing systems, Bajaj Auto aims to surpass its competitors and take a market-leading position in EVs in India and overseas.