Bajaj Chetak enjoyed a supreme market share for a long period of time. In it's heydays (70s and the 80s) it was said that a marriage in a middle class family in North India wasn't complete without a Chetak dowry.
Consumers' preference for the more efficient 4-stroke motorcycles, stricter emission norms and an old styling (based on the 50s Vespa) saw a steady fall in the sales of Chetak. Finally it's production stopped in December 2006.
Bajaj Auto was once known as a scooters giant. This image of a 'scooter maker' was a bit of a burden initially when they got in the motorcycle market. Today they've successfully transformed themselves to a leading motorcycle manufacturer. So much so that they just have one scooter model in their current product line-up.
I hope that a few years from now, the Chetak gets re-launched with a classic Vespa-like styling, a modern efficient engine and an option for auto or manual transmission.
