The Hindu Business Line : Chinese checker

Imitation, they say, is the best form of flattery. Or is it? Bajaj Auto is unlikely to concur with this after its recent discovery of a certain `Gulsar' brand from the Land of the Dragon zipping on the streets of Latin America.

If you are wondering what we are talking about here, look at the pictures. The resemblance to the `Pulsar' is striking as indeed so thoughtthe Bajaj officials when they first got the picture of the Pulsar's clone .

The Gulsar is not just a bike that sounds like the Pulsar, but is also almost completely identical to the popular Bajaj premium segment bike.

Except for a few minor changes to the headlamp and indicator combo and the rear grab rail, the Gulsar is indistinguishable from the Indian original.

From information available online and from the industry, the Gulsar appears to be assembled and marketed by a Chinese company, Taian Chiran Machinery Co. Ltd. The company's Web site (www.chinamotorcycleparts.com) has a range of motorcycles, ATVs and parts that it can supply to potential customers worldwide.

Bajaj Auto, from available indications, views this as a serious infringement of its proprietary, patented design .

The Chinese bike has had some impact on Bajaj's performance in the Latin American market, particularly in countries such as Argentina. Moreover, the continued availability of the product, which it views as a `copycat', could threaten Bajaj's foray into other unexplored markets in West Asia and South-East Asia.

Bajaj's chagrin is understandable given that the Pulsar is said to be one of the better selling bikes abroad for the company, and the Latin American market for economy bikes is one of the hottest in the world.

Borrowing design cues from competition is not new to the automobile industry. With a limited selection of overall design lines to work with, a bit of overlap is inevitable.

To have a product that clearly has usurped every single design element from an original effort is, however, a rarity. With the Indian auto industry's ambitions of going global, how well this issue is handled will be a precedent.

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