Bajaj?s ultra-low cost (ULC) car seems to be idling on the assembly line. Responding to a question on the progress of its joint project with Renault, Rahul Bajaj, MD, Bajaj Auto said in Pune: ?I am still not very clear on this. What I can say is that there could be more than one vehicle coming out of the four-wheeler project. The four-wheelers due for 2012 ? whether commercial or passenger ? could come out of a common project and this could be independent of Renault. Here, for example, the engine, chassis, aggregates etc could all be common. The new car plant would cater to all these requirements,? he said. Bajaj said the four-wheelers are slated for a 2012 launch. ?The four-wheelers for 2012 will be launched on a new platform and will be three generations ahead of what we have today,?he said. Apart from appearance and interiors, a lot of effort will go into the engine and transmission technology,? he explained.
Bajaj said the company was finding it difficult to acquire land at Chakan near Pune, where it was planning to build its new car plant. Bajaj Auto has around 250 acres in Chakan, but is short of 100 acres. For the new plant, the company can choose to continue with the existing land in Chakan, use land available in Aurangabad, or move to Pantnagar in Uttarakhand, where several incentives are available. ?We will look at our options and make up our minds in a year,?he said. Bajaj Auto already has a plant in Pantnagar, which has a planned capacity of one million motorcycles per annum. Earlier, the firm had stated that the project was proceeding as planned and to schedule.
