Bajaj Auto has sold over 30,000 units of India’s first CNG bike, the Bajaj Freedom, which the company introduced in July.
According to the vehicle registration statistics available on Vahan, which tracks vehicle registrations, 30,388 CNG two-wheelers were registered in the country. About 272 CNG bikes were registered in July, 4,111 in August, 4,938 in September, 11,056 in October and 10,011 in November.
The Bajaj Freedom is available in three variants: the Freedom 125 NG04 Disc LED, priced at ₹1.1 lakh; the Freedom 125 NG04 Drum LED, at ₹1.05 lakh; and the Freedom 125 NG04 Drum, at ₹95,000, all ex-showroom Delhi prices. Further, the company plans to expand its CNG motorcycle range.
With the increase in sales, the company has increased the production capacity of Bajaj Freedom to 30,000 per month in Q3 and 40,000 per month in Q4 of FY25.
“We have met Bajaj Freedom customers with our teams standing at the CNG pumps. The waiting period is probably in minutes or seconds at the pumps. We have a strong engagement process with the 14 gas distribution companies, with the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and the Gas Authority of India at the senior-most levels and their operating levels. As things scale up, we are in constant discussion with companies. I don’t think they will shy away from putting in more dispensing stations and ensuring that CNG two-wheeler customers don’t have to wait,” said Rakesh Sharma, Executive Director, Bajaj Auto, during the company’s earnings call.
Focus on hinterland
Bajaj Auto had initially opened bookings for the CNG bike in Gujarat and Maharashtra, and later expanded to other parts of India with a focus on the hinterland.
“The customers who have bought Freedom 125 are very wide. The largest cohort is from the 125cc segment itself, but the largest itself is only 15 per cent, 20 per cent or 18 per cent. The source of business is even from 150cc, from scooters, from 100cc entry-level and 110 cc. So, it’s very wide which, in a way, is very interesting and encouraging for us because it tells us that the sources of business cut across the conventional segments,” added Sharma.
In October, Bajaj Auto saw an 8 per cent decline year-on-year in its sales of two-wheelers in the domestic market. The company sold 2,55,909 two-wheeler units in October compared with 2,78,486 two-wheeler units sold in October 2023. Two-wheeler export saw a 22 per cent increase with 1,58,463 units.