Bajaj Auto names its new motorcycle brand ‘V’ after INS Vikrant

Mumbai: Bajaj Auto Ltd has named its upcoming new brand of motorcycle ‘V’ after INS Vikrant because it’s made of metal from India’s first aircraft carrier.

“The brave legacy of INS Vikrant will now remain alive in lakhs of Indian homes, in the form of V,’’ the company said in a statement on Tuesday. Bajaj is set to unveil the new motorcycle on 1 February.

INS Vikrant was commissioned in 1961 as the first aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy. After years of distinguished service, she was decommissioned in January 1997 and served as a museum till 2012.

In November 2014, India’s most celebrated aircraft carrier was dismantled and sold as scrap metal. Bajaj Auto purchased the Vikrant metal and processed it to be a part of its new brand.

“The new bike will therefore preserve a significant piece of Indian military history,” it said.

“For the warship, the name Vikrant was taken from the Sanskrit word Vikrānta meaning ‘stepping beyond’, i.e. ‘courageous’ or ‘bold’. These qualities also form the essence of our new brand,” said Eric Vas, president of the motorcycle business at Bajaj Auto.

To be positioned in the executive segment of the motorcycle market, the company is hoping to ride on ‘V’ to boost sales volumes. Bajaj hopes to triple its sales in the segment from 20,000 a month to around 70,000, Vas said at a press conference in Mumbai earlier this month.