New Delhi, Dec 29 (FN Bureau) Bajaj Auto on Wednesday announced an investment of Rs 300 crore in a new electric vehicle manufacturing unit for India and has commenced production work at the new unit at Akurdi in Pune. This unit will have a production capacity of 500,000 EVs per annum. Akurdi is also the site of the original Chetak scooter factory. “In 2001 Bajaj 2.0 took off on the roaring Pulsar, in 2021 Bajaj 3.0 arrives on the charming Chetak,” said Rajiv Bajaj, Managing Director of Bajaj Auto. Going forward, for the Bajaj portfolio, except for implementing one state-of-the-art ICE platform that is currently under development, all R&D resources are now laser focused on creating EV solutions for the future. The investment at Akurdi completes the cycle of hi-tech R&D competencies, high-efficiency engineering capabilities, world class supply chain synergies and global distribution network which are expected to catapult the company into a market leading position in EVs in India and overseas.
The new unit will have cutting-edge robotic and automated manufacturing systems for everything including logistics and material handling, fabrication and painting, assembly and quality assurance. These systems have been designed for flexible product mix, while keeping in mind the best worker ergonomics and maximum process efficiency. It is spread over half a million square feet and will employ 800 personnel. The investments made by Bajaj Auto will be supplemented by a number of vendors who will invest a further Rs 250 crore. The first vehicle from this unit is expected to roll out by June 2022. This new EV manufacturing unit at Akurdi is co-located with Bajaj Auto’s state-of-the-art R&D centre to foster greater collaboration, leading to faster time-to-market and is aimed at transforming Bajaj Auto’s Akurdi facility into a hub for design, development and manufacturing of a complete range of EVs.