"Three months old and already No. 1." So said the print ad of Bajaj CT100 in big, bold typeface. The full-page ad, showing a baby waving from the topper�s slot on a victory stand, was released some time back in, India Today, a handful of automobile magazines and leading national and vernacular dailies in the country.

Bajaj Auto has reason to be all cock-a-hoop. In August, the company had raced to the No 1 position in the commuter segment (75-125 cc) on the back of the Bajaj CT100, which sold 1.21 lakh units in its first three months. Since then, the CT100, which wears a price tag of Rs 32,352 (ex-showroom Delhi), has gone on to sell around 3 lakh units. Capacity expansion to 4,000 per day is underway to overcome the approximately two-week-long waiting period, Bajaj Auto said recently. "The bike satisfies the demographic demands and need quotients of the buyer," says Krishna S Grihapathy, general manager, marketing, Bajaj Auto. ... more