<p>Two-wheeler major Bajaj on Wednesday announced the comeback of its iconic scooter brand Chetak in an electric avatar.</p>.<p>The company plans to start selling electric scooters (e-scooter) under the Chetak brand January onwards from Pune and then move to Bengaluru; and after gauging the response, expand operations to other locations.</p>.<p>The e-scooter would be rolled out from the company's Chakan plant and would be retailed from the company's Pro-Biking dealerships.</p>.<p>The company also plans to export the model to various relevant markets in Europe from next year itself.</p>.<p>The e-scooter was unveiled by Transport minister Nitin Gadkari in presence of Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant and Bajaj Auto Managing Director Rajiv Bajaj.</p>.<p>Commenting on the company's foray into the electric segment, Bajaj said it wanted to be the first mover in the segment as an established player in the two-wheeler industry.</p>.<p>"With this attitude, we have decided to move into electric vehicles," he added.</p>.<p>Bajaj said that the launch of the e-scooter doesn't mean that the company is making a comeback into the traditional scooter segment.</p>.<p>Bajaj said the company's focus would remain on bikes for volumes, while the e-scooter along with other other brands like KTM and Triumph would act as niche segments.</p>.<p>The company did not disclose the price of the new scooter, but said it would not be more than Rs 1.5 lakh.</p>.<p>The scooter comes with range of 85 km on sports mode and 95 km on eco mode on a single charge of around 5 hours.</p>.<p>Speaking at the event, Gadkari said the future of automotive industry lies in eco-friendly technologies such as electric vehicles and biofuels.</p>.<p>The government is soon coming out with a scrappage policy, he said adding that it also plans to open up the country's port for scrap for recycling from international markets.</p>.<p>Kant said the future of the sector would be in ride-sharing, connected and autonomous mobility and electric vehicles.</p>.<p>He added that the auto industry, globally, is in the middle of a massive disruption as the sector would move from internal combustion engines to electric ones.</p>.<p>Kant said India must not lose out on becoming the global manufacturing hub for electric vehicles, having already lost in the manufacturing of four-wheelers, mobile phones, telecom equipment and solar cells. </p>
<p>Two-wheeler major Bajaj on Wednesday announced the comeback of its iconic scooter brand Chetak in an electric avatar.</p>.<p>The company plans to start selling electric scooters (e-scooter) under the Chetak brand January onwards from Pune and then move to Bengaluru; and after gauging the response, expand operations to other locations.</p>.<p>The e-scooter would be rolled out from the company's Chakan plant and would be retailed from the company's Pro-Biking dealerships.</p>.<p>The company also plans to export the model to various relevant markets in Europe from next year itself.</p>.<p>The e-scooter was unveiled by Transport minister Nitin Gadkari in presence of Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant and Bajaj Auto Managing Director Rajiv Bajaj.</p>.<p>Commenting on the company's foray into the electric segment, Bajaj said it wanted to be the first mover in the segment as an established player in the two-wheeler industry.</p>.<p>"With this attitude, we have decided to move into electric vehicles," he added.</p>.<p>Bajaj said that the launch of the e-scooter doesn't mean that the company is making a comeback into the traditional scooter segment.</p>.<p>Bajaj said the company's focus would remain on bikes for volumes, while the e-scooter along with other other brands like KTM and Triumph would act as niche segments.</p>.<p>The company did not disclose the price of the new scooter, but said it would not be more than Rs 1.5 lakh.</p>.<p>The scooter comes with range of 85 km on sports mode and 95 km on eco mode on a single charge of around 5 hours.</p>.<p>Speaking at the event, Gadkari said the future of automotive industry lies in eco-friendly technologies such as electric vehicles and biofuels.</p>.<p>The government is soon coming out with a scrappage policy, he said adding that it also plans to open up the country's port for scrap for recycling from international markets.</p>.<p>Kant said the future of the sector would be in ride-sharing, connected and autonomous mobility and electric vehicles.</p>.<p>He added that the auto industry, globally, is in the middle of a massive disruption as the sector would move from internal combustion engines to electric ones.</p>.<p>Kant said India must not lose out on becoming the global manufacturing hub for electric vehicles, having already lost in the manufacturing of four-wheelers, mobile phones, telecom equipment and solar cells. </p>