There's a new wave of mobility coming and electric vehicle makers are at the forefront of this change. And this means that the battle between legacy players and new start-ups is hotter than ever. Addressing this very question was Rajiv Bajaj, Managing Director - Bajaj Auto, on the sidelines of the new-generation Pulsar 250 launch. the Bajaj bossman took a dig at the EV start-ups with his BETS and OATS comparison that has since gone viral. Not just the media and enthusiasts found the dig amusing, the industry at large chuckled at the comparison, which has since gone viral.
Also Read: Bajaj Pulsar N250 And F250 Launched In India
Rajiv Bajaj was addressing questions from the media at the Bajaj Pulsar 250 launch
Rajiv Bajaj was speaking about the future of electric vehicles and decided to put his trust in legacy manufacturers - Bajaj, Enfield and TVS or 'BET.' Their proven track record made them champions and what do champions have for breakfast? Well, OATS, according to the top boss. Of course, OATS here stands for Ola, Ather, Tork and SmartE.
"Because they are champions, they have a track record - there are two things which are very clear. Champions eat OATS for breakfast - Ola, Ather, Tork and SmartE. 'Picture abhi baaki hai,' I will say," he said while interacting with the media.
undefinedMust say, the OATS and BET acronyms by Rajiv Bajaj made my day today
— Tarun Mehta (@tarunsmehta) October 28, 2021
Never a dull moment in this industry.
The OATS players did take this very sportingly. Responding to Rajiv Bajaj's comments, Tarun Mehta, co-founder and CEO, Ather Energy tweeted, "Must say, the OATS and BET acronyms by Rajiv Bajaj made my day today. Never a dull moment in this industry."
— Bhavish Aggarwal (@bhash) October 28, 2021undefined
Meanwhile, Bhavish Aggarwal, co-founder and CEO, Ola Electric retweeted a user seemingly agreeing with it. The user shared a break-up of booking numbers for Ola's scooters, along with sales for Ather 450 and the Bajaj Chetak from the past year.
The past few years have seen EV players energy and how, as the auto industry seems to be at the cusp of the electric revolution. While Ather has been retailing its products to customers over a couple of years now, Ola is yet to actually deliver its scooters to the end user. However, the company promises segment-leading features, range and more from its S1 and S1 Pro offerings.
undefinedLaunching our new line of products for a quicker and smarter start to the day — OATs for champions ????
— Ather Energy (@atherenergy) October 29, 2021
Recommended by experts.#NationalOatmealDay pic.twitter.com/f8XMBQQ42k
Speaking further on the new EV players at the launch, Rajiv Bajaj said, "Now there are startups out there that we respect. Of course, the biggest one is Ola. But we have to still see them produce something and sell something. No, no I was not being sarcastic, I am just stating it as a fact. They have not produced anything yet, they have not sold anything yet. There is Ather, that we enormously respect because they have really demonstrated capability."
There is Ather, that we enormously respect, said Bajaj while speaking about the new EV start-ups
Bajaj also pointed out what makes the legacy players different from today's EV start-ups. He said that from a company point of view, their business model is a cash burn model. Meanwhile, companies like Bajaj follow a cash flow model.
"We have to make sure we make money when we make a motorcycle. So, of course, we operate very differently," he said.
The auto industry has also found the push for electric mobility from the government. Bajaj too is already in this space with the Chetak scooter, and that platform is likely to spawn more offerings in the future for domestic and global markets. The
