TIL Desk/Business/New Delhi/ Iconic scooter brand Chetak, which has been resurrected by Bajaj Auto in its electric avatar, will be sold in Europe by early 2024 by Pierer Mobility (the parent company of KTM). Speaking on the sidelines of the one millionth KTM bike roll out from Bajaj Auto’s Chakan plant, Stefan Pierer, chief executive officer (CEO), Pierer Mobility, said he will take the Chetak to Europe in early 2024. “It’s a great product,” Pierer said.
He, however, added that component prices for electric batteries have gone up five-six times in the recent past. This is due to higher demand and government push to switch to electric mobility. Pierer also said it is not feasible for high-powered bikes to run on electric engines. This is because the weight of the battery required to generate equivalent power of a gasoline engine would be too high. And moreover, motorcycles have a space constraint.
As for the electric Chetak, which has already sold close to 25,000 units in India, the European version will be based on the same platform. Bajaj Auto’s Chetak, which was named after the legendary horse of the great Rajasthani warrior Maharana Pratap, was produced from 1972 onwards. It had a waiting period of up to 10 years in 1980. Bajaj sold over 500,000 units of this iconic scooter by 1983, and around 100 million units by 1995. But as the years passed, competition intensified, and by 2004, Bajaj discontinued the scooter.
