For $500 more (or .2 Lakh), Indians Can Buy a Bajaj Auto -- Maybe Someday

For $500 more (or .2 Lakh), Indians Can Buy a Bajaj Auto -- Maybe Someday

By Nick Kurczewski

NEW DELHI, India -- A dismal grey paint job didn’t help this concept car’s chances.  Neither did the fact that the Tata Nano, unveiled less than 48 hours later and priced $500 cheaper, ended up looking much more serious and production-ready. 

On Tuesday, Bajaj Auto pulled the covers off of what is informally known as the “1.2-Lakh” concept car here at the New Delhi Auto Expo.  Best known as India’s second largest manufacturer of scooters – and the maker of those ubiquitous three-wheeled tuk-tuks that roam New Delhi’s roads – Bajaj Auto, possibly partnering with France's Renault, is looking to expand from the two-wheel market and into the realm of small city-cars.

Bajaj is presently in negotiations with Renault to bring this small car to market within the next three to four years.  Yet, the unveiling was vague (at best) when it came to technical specifics.  No engine or transmission options were mentioned, other than the promise that a production version would offer gas and diesel engines, as well as far better fuel economy than similarly sized rivals.

“Price is not the center of the product,” said Rajiv Bajaj, managing director of Bajaj Auto, during the company’s press conference.  That could be taken as a clever way of working around the fact that Bajaj simply couldn’t match the barebones price of the Tata Nano, at 1-lakh ($2,500).  If and when Bajaj’s small car comes to market, it would likely be priced closer to $3,000.

A representative of Bajaj took AutoObserver on a brief tour of his company’s city-car concept.  Separated from the crowds by thick glass walls, it was difficult to determine how serious the car truly is and whether it’s a running prototype.  From the outside, the Bajaj is similar in size and proportions to other tall one-box vehicles like the Indian-market Hyundai i110, or the Scion xA hatchback sold in the States.

“It’s much more of a real car,” said the Bajaj rep of his company’s concept car compared to the Nano.  “It is not competing with Tata’s 1-lakh car.”

That’s true, since the Tata Nano goes on sale later in 2008 and the Bajaj city-car remains years away from production.

Photos by Nick Kurczewski

Nick Kurczewski is a Paris-based correspondent for AutoObserver covering the New Delhi Auto Expo.

Michelle Krebs:  is Editor-in-Chief of AutoObserver.com. Follow @AutoObserver on Twitter.