The Hindu Business Line : Bajaj Auto's tech focus pays off

Bajaj Auto’s investments into building a strong in-house research and development department was initially focused at enabling the company climb out of its dependence on geared scooters, a rapidly falling segment during the late 1990s and which has by now become almost non-existent.

That investment enabled Bajaj to break into the fast growing motorcycle segment and develop new bikes in-house.

During the last few years, the company’s R&D has been able to set new trends, crack new technology platforms and develop new, segment-defining bikes.

Bajaj’s clairvoyance came after its big fall from being the undisputed leader in the two-wheeler industry. And after conceding that position to Hero Honda, Bajaj has had to desperately clutch on to the No. 2 rank. However, in the last few years, its foresight and ability to predict future buying trends has been amply demonstrated in at least two of its bikes — the Pulsars and the Discover.

Bajaj also owes quite a bit of the success of the two bikes to its in-house R&D’s Digital Twin Spark Ignition (DTS-i) technology.

Bajaj’s own variant of a world-renowned technology that enabled its bikes to be powerful, fuel-efficient and emission-friendly helped it discover new categories in the bike market, take on the market leader and confidently explore markets abroad for its bikes.

With the DTS-i technology, which it has patented, contributing so much, it is small wonder that Bajaj considers it a very sensitive intellectual property rights issue even when there is the slightest evidence of any other company working on a similar technology.

Now, Bajaj is taking the DTS-i technology to the next level by coupling swirl induction with the digital twin spark ignition system.

The company’s well-accepted twin-spark-plug technology engine now gets offset intake ports and other changes to also incorporate swirl induction that enables better performance during lean air mixture conditions in the combustion chamber.

The DTS-Si engine is likely to be the new technology showcase for Bajaj and could find its way into many more Bajaj bikes of the future.

For a more detailed description of the DTS-Si engine technology read Business Line dated August 19, 2007 Or catch the article online at http://www.the hindu businessline.com/iw/2007/08/19/stories /2007081950 621700.htm.

S. M.

More Stories on : Two/Three Wheelers | Research & Development | Bajaj Auto Ltd

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