A couple of years back, few would have bet on the Bajaj Chetak being India’s bestselling EV.
Since its initial launch in 2020, the Bajaj Chetak has been on quite the rollercoaster ride, going from being one of the most affordable options in the segment to one of the most expensive and then back down to the affordable end. However, in the past two years, the Chetak has witnessed a sensational turnaround, and as of my writing this in the last week of December 2024, it looks all set to knock the Ola S1 off the top spot.
That being said, if you go back to the period after the Chetak’s initial launch, it seemed quite unlikely that the scooter would reach the great heights it has today. After all, it also took ages for the sales network to ramp up, and in those first couple of years, it felt like the Chetak project wasn’t a particularly high priority at Bajaj. Clearly, that wasn’t actually the case.
Today, the Chetak is widely available across the country, but that’s just one of the reasons why it has become a bestseller. First, there’s the fact that it comes from an established mainstream manufacturer and that inherent trust factor makes a difference when such a brand-new technology is involved. In that same vein, it must have surely helped that the Chetak has spent the least amount of time in the spotlight when it comes to EV-related safety issues.
What I find interesting is that the Chetak has scaled to the top of the EV business despite not really being the best in any particular aspect. It certainly wasn’t the quickest EV, the best equipped, the most technologically advanced, the one with the most storage space, or even the one with the best battery range. The only thing I’d say the Chetak did better than the rest was to offer a high-quality feel in the materials used and how it was put together.
This is a heartening look at what the Indian buyer truly values. Ola, which has ruled the EV scooter sales charts for more than two years, did so by rushing its scooter to the market with the promise of the best performance and technology at the lowest price. But, Ola’s poor quality issues have now predictably spiralled out of control, and there’s only so long that customers will be swayed by promises and flash.
Even some seemingly desperate discounts around this festive season (where some of its scooter models, which already have unrealistically low prices, were offered with an additional Rs 25,000 discount) could only do so much. In December sales, Ola is relinquished not just the top spot to Bajaj but also second place to TVS’ iQube.
Ola has an almost overwhelmingly difficult path ahead to gain back customer trust, but Bajaj’s future is looking exceedingly bright in this space. The recently revamped Chetak now has segment-leading boot space, range figures that are up there with the best, and a very compelling price tag. The Chetak’s growth story has a long way to go.
Also See: Opinion: Too much of a good thing?
