Bajaj Auto has announced to bring back Chetak scooter in an all-electric avatar. The Chetak Electric is launched under the Urbanite EV sub-brand by Bajaj Auto. The new electric vehicle brand commenced its operations with the Chetak electric scooter whose production started on September 25, 2019 at the Chakan plant of Bajaj.
There were rumors about what the new electric scooter will be called. Names like Chetak, Urbanite, Chic were suggested by various reports. Bajaj has finally cleared the air by launching the Urbanite brand under which Chetak Electric is their first product.
Bajaj marked its re-entry in the scooter space after nearly two decades, as it stopped manufacturing scooters a long back to focus only on motorcycles. The iconic Chetak scooter has a strong brand recall in India and its obvious why Bajaj chose the name to make a comeback.
Speaking at the product unveiling, Rajiv Bajaj, MD, Bajaj Auto, said: “I have been surprised to see the enthusiasm when people came to know we were developing an electric vehicle. I am also surprised to see the people who want to revolutionise Indian roads are often failed IC two-wheeler manufacturers who want to change the world with their EVs. We are not a battery or steel maker – we are engineers who do our own work, we are a company with a rich past and a strong legacy. We have a solid foundation to make a foray into the future.”
The Chetak electric scooter from Bajaj has been spied several times in the past and gets a retro design with a round headlamp, alloy wheels, and single-side suspension set-up.
The Chetak scooter will go up against the likes of Okinawa Scooters, Hero Electric, Ather Energy, Ampere Electric Vehicles, Twenty Two Motors among others.
Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road, Transport and Highways, praised Bajaj Auto for its electric scooter Bajaj Chetak and said: “I am confident that this product will get lots of success in both domestic and international markets.”