Rise of the next generation at Bajaj Auto as Rishab Bajaj takes centre stage at new EV launch

Pune: The next generation at the country's fourth-largest two-wheeler maker, Bajaj Auto, is taking shape, with Rishabnayan Bajaj playing a central role in the company's latest launch of its new electric vehicle at its facility in Akurdi, Pune.

The 27-year-old Rishab Bajaj, the son of managing director Rajiv Bajaj, answered questions from the media for the first time since joining the company as a management trainee in 2021.

“My grandfather established Chetak decades ago, which is what built the foundation of this company. It is something I have been working on since I have been involved in this company,” the young Bajaj, who is now the general manager-EV 2-wheeler and three-wheeler at the company, said in one of his first public statements.

“This is why I felt it is a good place to start…I would like to take it (legacy of Chetak) forward,” he added.

Rishab joined Bajaj as a management trainee in 2021, half a century after his grandfather, Rahul Bajaj, launched the Chetak, the company's first scooter in 1972. Rishab was appointed as a divisional manager in the EV product strategy department from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2028.

The Bajaj scion was speaking after Bajaj Auto launched its latest electric two-wheeler, as it continues to push for leadership in the growing EV market held by TVS Motor Co.

During the presentation on Wednesday at the launch of the new scooter, the company highlighted that sales of its Chetak electric two-wheeler have increased from about 4,000 in 2021 to nearly 300,000 in 2025.

Younger buyers

Part of this EV wave, Rishab said, the company has been looking to cater to the younger generation, given that 40% of its Chetak EV buyers are under 35 years.

“We wanted to target a particular group of customers from a cost and practicality point of view, and that is what we have done,” he said when asked about the positioning of the brand.

The young scion is following in the footsteps of his father, Rajiv Bajaj, who joined the company in 1990 at 24, rising to managing director by 2005, making him one of the youngest senior leaders in the two-wheeler industry. During the late 90s, Rajiv pivoted Bajaj from making scooters to bikes, a strategy which later played out well for the company.

Now, Bajaj and the other two-wheeler makers face another challenge in the rise of EVs, although the legacy firms have done well, with Bajaj and TVS emerging as the country’s largest sellers of electric two-wheelers in 2025.

Rishab studied at St. Mary's School in Pune and then joined the College of Engineering, Pune. Following this, the young Bajaj went to complete a Master's in Mechanical Engineering from Loughborough University in Leicestershire, UK.

Rishab's rise at the company comes just months after Bajaj's rival, TVS Motor Co., appointed Sudershan Venu, the son of Venu Srinivasan, as the chairman and managing director.

Like Rishab, Sudershan also joined the company almost a decade ago, when he was 22, and rose to the rank of whole-time director within two years.

Succession planning?

Questions on succession at Bajaj Auto have always lingered since Rajiv first hinted at a young managing director at the 17th Annual General Meeting (AGM) in 2024.

“Every time I say something to you (shareholders), I start by saying, ‘my mind goes back 30 years’. So, it tells me that perhaps I have been here long enough.”

“So, just as these two companies (Chetak Technologies and Bajaj Auto Credit) have new MDs (managing directors), Bajaj Auto needs a new MD; a younger MD because I have been here 34 years. I am 58 and not so young any more. But don’t worry, I am not going anywhere immediately,” Bajaj added.

When asked about whether his role will increase in the coming years, Rishab said, “Time will tell.”