It is fairly well known that when Bajaj Auto managing director Rajiv Bajaj decided to shut its scooter business, chairman Rahul Bajaj, his father, was not excited at the prospect. After all, Bajaj scooters were an iconic part of India and had become synonymous with its middle-class.
The senior Bajaj, speaking at the NDTV Indian of the Year award ceremony, on Tuesday said he still maintains that scooter production should not have been stopped, even after five years since the momentous decision. Rajiv Bajaj was conferred with NDTV Business Leader of the Year award.
"I think logic and emotion should go together otherwise you're in trouble in life whether in business or otherwise but I still believe the scooter production should not have stopped," Rahul Bajaj said, appearing alongside Rajiv Bajaj on stage. (Watch: Video)
The senior Bajaj also said since Bajaj Auto was branching out into things beyond two and three wheelers now, maybe the scooter business could be looked at again. He however added that the decision was entirely left to the current managing director Rajiv Bajaj.
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"The difference between him and me is this, he's focused on motorcycles but also three-wheelers and now he's bringing out a four-wheeler. Well, I said what was wrong with the scooter, where we were the king of the road.
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"But that time the market was changing from scooter to motorcycle and we were really a scooter manufacturer and Hero and others... they were really motorcycle manufacturers to that extent there was logic because we couldn't do everything, our R&D couldn't do everything but whether now he goes into it or not is for him to decide, he's the CEO," the senior Mr Bajaj said.
Rajiv Bajaj's response to his father's suggestion was however was restricted to only a wry smile.
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Earlier on in the discussion, while defending his decision to shut scooter production, Rajiv Bajaj said, "If Bajaj has to be a global motorcycle specialist, we can't be making some mopeds and scooters and all these kinds of stuff on the side."
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