Introduced only in Maharashtra and Gujarat in July, the world’s first CNG motorcycle has drawn over 30,000 customer enquiries from across India. Bajaj Auto now plans to expand the Freedom 125 sales network and customer reach to 77 towns by August 15 to accelerate sales, a strategy it successfully employed with the Chetak electric scooter.
04 Aug 2024 | 12389 Views | By Ajit Dalvi
Bajaj Auto has clocked retail sales of 453 units of the Freedom 125, the world’s first CNG motorcycle, in two key markets in India since the innovative product's global reveal a month ago. Launched on July 5, 2024, the Freedom 125 has been introduced first in only Maharashtra and ...
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Bajaj Auto has clocked retail sales of 453 units of the Freedom 125, the world’s first CNG motorcycle, in two key markets in India since the innovative product's global reveal a month ago. Launched on July 5, 2024, the Freedom 125 has been introduced first in only Maharashtra and Gujarat. This retail sales number is as per the data published on the government of India’s Vahan website as of August 4 (6am), comprising 272 units in July 2024 and 181 units in the first three days of August.
It’s early days yet for the Freedom 125 and deliveries have begun, starting with the top variant with the other two variants to follow. Similar to what it did with the Chetak electric scooter when it entered the EV market four years ago, the Pune-based auto major is testing the waters. The eco-friendly CNG motorcycle has been rolled out only in Maharashtra and Gujarat, which have a strong CNG filling network, with plans to introduce in other states in a phased manner.
The company is banking on the speedy expansion of the CNG filling infrastructure across the country, currently estimated to be around 7,000 stations and billed to more than double to over 13,000 over the next couple of years and 17,000 by 2030.
Production of the Freedom 125 has kicked off with a capacity of 10,000 units in the first 2-3 months, with plans to ramp up to 30,000-40,000 units by the end of FY2025. Deliveries of the Freedom 125 began from July 18, starting with the top variant, from showrooms in Maharashtra and Gujarat. A Pune-based customer was the first to get delivery, by which time Bajaj Auto had received over 30,000 enquiries from across India for the eco-friendly motorcycle.
A new, air-cooled 125cc, single-cylinder motor, which develops 9.5 hp and 9.7 Nm of torque, powers the Freedom 125 which has a five-speed gearbox. Bajaj Auto claims the bike has a top speed of 90.5kph while running on CNG and, when switched to petrol power, slightly higher at 93.4kph.
High on safety, the Freedom 125 has successfully passed 11 rigorous safety tests, including impact tests, as well as a truck-run-over test.
Affordable, greener alternative to petrol-engined motorcycles
The ground-up-developed Freedom 125 is a motorcycle that is capable of plying on both CNG and petrol and is pitched as an alternative to similar-category petrol-engined commuter motorcyles, which rely on being tanked up on expensive petrol priced at Rs 104.19 (as of August 3). It is sold in three variants, starting with the NG04 Drum (Rs 95,000), NG04 Drum LED (Rs 105,000) and NG04 Disc LED (Rs 110,000, ex-showroom Delhi).
Bajaj Auto claims the Freedom 125 lowers operating costs by up to 50% when compared to similar ICE motorcycles¸which translates into just Rs 1 per kilometre. The CNG tank provides a range of over 200 kilometres on just 2kg of CNG. Additionally, the bike’s 2-litre petrol tank acts as a range extender, offering over 130km of range in the event of the CNG tank emptying out.
This dual-fuel capability gives the rider a combined range of 330km. The Freedom 125, as per Autocar India tests, delivered mileage of 94km/kg in the city and 126km/kg on the highway. Meanwhile, the fuel efficiency when running on petrol was predictably a lot lower – 53.4kpl in the city and 62.37kpl on the highway. On the emissions front, compared to petrol-engined bikes, the Freedom 125 emits 26.7% less CO2, 85% lower NMHC’s (non-methane hydrocarbons) and 43% less NOx (nitrogen oxide).
Bajaj to expand Freedom sales network to 77 towns by August 15
With a growing number of customer enquiries for the Freedom 125, Bajaj Auto plans to expand the CNG motorcycle’s reach by making it available in 77 towns across India by August 15, 2024 – India’s 77th Independence Day. This would likely include Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, which are seeing CNG stations being set up.
Bajaj Auto would also be looking to capitalise on the upcoming festive season. There’s Raksha Bandhan coming up on August 19, followed by Janmashtami on August 26. Onam, the festival of Kerala, begins in early September and Ganesh Chaturthi is on September 7. Dussehra is on October 12 and November opens with the festival of lights – Diwali. These festive occasions are when new vehicle buyers prefer to make their purchases.
According to Sarang Kanade, President of Motorcycles, Bajaj Auto: "The launch of the Freedom 125 has ignited an unprecedented interest across India. We're humbled by this overwhelming response and are committed to making Freedom 125 accessible to as many Indians as possible. To celebrate our nation's 77th Independence Day, we're expanding availability to 77 towns. Bajaj Freedom 125 empowers individuals to shape their future with a safe, clean, and cost-effective transportation solution. Our goal is to harness India's growing CNG infrastructure to bring the benefits of Freedom 125 to every corner of the country."
Freedom 125 marketing strategy akin to Chetak EV
For the Freedom 125, Bajaj Auto seems to have adopted a similar marketing strategy that it did with the all-electric Chetak scooter, with which it entered the EV market in mid-January 2020. Like the CNG bike, the Chetak was initially sold only in two markets – Bengaluru and Pune – and through 17 KTM dealerships, before being made available in Nagpur and then later in metros like Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai.
Considering the Chetak was launched just before the pandemic and in only a few markets, sales of the Chetak, understandably, were slow. The Chetak’s first 15 months’ sales were just 1,587 units. While FY2022 saw sales of 8,187 units, Chetak numbers rose to 31,485 units in FY2023. In FY2024, sales jumped 219% to 115,702 units. Bajaj Auto has had a strong opening quarter in FY2025 and with 40,854 Chetaks sold, up 96% YoY (April-June 2023: 20,834 units), the gap with the TVS Qube (Q1 FY2025: 49,164 units) is currently down to just 8,310 units.
In June 2024, the Chetak crossed 200,000 sales, with the last 100,000 sales coming in just eight months. What is giving the Chetak a new sales charge is the ramped-up production and a growing dealer network, which is to be expanded from its existing presence in 164 cities and 200 touchpoints to around 600 showrooms in the next three to four months.
Huge potential for Freedom 125 to be a game-changer
The potential for the Bajaj Freedom 125, which promises to be a game-changer with its innovative technology and offering a new paradigm for affordable two-wheeled motoring, is huge in India.
In June 2024, a total of 785,780 motorcycles in the 100cc to 125cc segment were sold in India. This fuel-sipping motorcycle category is one where the bulk of users seek low cost of ownership, just what the world’s first ground-up CNG motorcycle delivers. A lot though depends on CNG-filling network availability as well as two-wheeler buyer transition from petrol. Stay tuned for more updates.
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