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| VESPA BAJAJ IS FAMOUS TOO!! |
Bajaj Chetak was based on Piaggio's Vespa Sprint scooter. It was powered by a two-stroke, 145 cc engine, which later was upgraded to four-stroke. But Chetak's advent started a new era of mobility. In times where cars were a luxury only few could afford, Chetak presented itself as the vehicle aimed at the masses. It had an affordable price tag (as compared to cars and other two-wheelers), was compact, and had a practicality quotient well suited for Indian road conditions. No wonder that for most people back then, Bajaj Chetak was their first two-wheeler or even the first family vehicle. All this made Chetak one of the most coveted things in India. The scooter became so popular that the waiting time extended to a couple of years but that wasn't any deterrence for the people, largely because Bajaj held a monopoly in the segment. And the jingle "Hamara Bajaj" further made it the one of most ubiquitous vehicles on Indian roads by 1990s.
The Chetak was eponymous with the name of the horse ridden by Maharana Pratap at the battle of Haldighati in the 16th century. "That was also partly responsible for the model's importance," says Bajaj. The Chetak's popularity was well captured by an ad catchline 'Hamara Bajaj' (Hindi for Our Bajaj).
The Chetak's popularity was so high that apparently, in the market, it commanded a premium of nearly double its showroom price! The licence raj (1951-1991) in the country, which didn't allow manufacturers to enhance production at their will, was also responsible for the waiting period of up to 10 years for the Chetak, which is possibly a world record. Bajaj recalls the stories of the Chetak being a preferred component of the "unfortunate" old practice of dowry (mandatory gifting of wealth by the bride's family to the groom) in a marriage. There was a better way to own a Chetak, that too out of turn. An official government approved scheme of getting foreign exchange of $500 (per customer) allowed one to get an out-of-turn allotment. Bajaj says even this queue was fairly long.
1945 On November 29 Bajaj Auto came into existence as Bachraj Trading Corporation Private Limited
1948 Commenced sales of imported two & three wheelers from Vespa
1958 Bachraj Trading Corporation Pvt Ltd. applied to Government of India for manufacture of Motor scooters and auto rickshaws
1959 Obtained licence to manufacture two & three wheelers. Changed company name to Bajaj Auto Private Ltd
