Bajaj Auto said it will shortly add yet another sub-brand to its line-up of motorcycles in India.
The Dominar will sit above the Pulsar, currently Bajaj’s top in-house brand and will be introduced on Dec 15.
The first motorcycle carrying the brand rolled out from Bajaj Auto’s Chakan Plant on 18th November, the company said.
The Pulsar, however, has been showing its age in the face of increasing competition from high-end models from Yamaha, Suzuki, Royal Enfield and Bajaj’s associate firm KTM.
Dominar is a derivation from a Spanish word which means “to excel or exceed in power”.
The new line-up will be its “biggest and most powerful motorcycle”. The first bike in the series will be the 400-cc “Dominar 400”.
Pulsar bikes range from 150cc to 373cc for the CSS400.
Bajaj is one of the most successful home-grown brands in India in any field, and has done a decent job of competing with Japanese brands.
However, the company has always failed to make its presence in the true premium category priced at Rs 1.5 lakh and above. The segment is currently dominated by Yamaha, Royal Enfield and Suzuki.
To get high-end knowhow, Bajaj Auto invested in KTM Sports Motorcycle and picked up a 48% stake in the Austrian bike maker in 2008.
While the investment helped KTM overcome the global financial crisis, it gave Bajaj a glimpse in the world of high-end motorcycles.
The Dominar 400 is expected to come with the 373cc engine from KTM’s Duke 390 motorcycle, which has a top speed of 169 km per hour.
Despite being as powerful, the Dominar 400 will be priced at a considerable discount to the Duke 390, which can set you back by around Rs 2 lakh.
The new bike will come with MRF Revz C1 and Revz FC1 tyres, according to photographs of the test machine.
“The Dominar 400 has already created lot of excitement amongst bikers, which is befitting for what’s going to be one of the most path breaking products in the history of the Indian motorcycle industry,” said Eric Vas, President (Motorcycle Business), Bajaj Auto.