Bajaj Auto launches world's first CNG bike 'Freedom 125', prices start at Rs 95,000
Pune/IBNS: In a monumental occasion in the global automotive industry, especially in the alternate fuel space, Indian two-wheeler maker Bajaj Auto on Friday (July 5) launched the world's first motorcycle that will run on both Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and petrol.
Rajiv Bajaj, Managing Director of Chakan-based bikemaker Bajaj Auto, unveiled the world's first CNG motorcycle named 'Freedom 125' in the presence of Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Nitin Gadkari, in an event in Pune.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari in his address to the media says that India became the third largest automobile industry in the world behind the USA and Japan.
"The auto industry has created four crore jobs until now. Two-wheelers industry is doing excellent work. Within five years India will be the second largest automobile industry in the world," Gadkari said.
Nitin Gadkari claims the running cost of CNG two-wheelers will stand around Re 1 per kilometer, adding that he is impressed with the design and quality of the Bajaj Freedom 125 bike, which gets a 2 kg tank of CNG.
📍 𝐏𝐮𝐧𝐞
— Nitin Gadkari (@nitin_gadkari) July 5, 2024
𝙇𝙖𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙’𝙨 🌏 𝙁𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝘾𝙉𝙂 𝙈𝙤𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙘𝙮𝙘𝙡𝙚 🏍 𝙗𝙮 𝘽𝙖𝙟𝙖𝙟 𝘼𝙪𝙩𝙤 𝙞𝙣 𝐏𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝙩𝙤𝙙𝙖𝙮.
This groundbreaking innovation promises significant savings in operating costs and pollution reduction. With this eco-friendly… pic.twitter.com/TLyiLP38At
Bajaj Auto claims the CNG bike gets the longest seat in the segment, with a height of 785mm, while the Freedom 125 is equipped with a contemporary styling, a robust trellis frame, and a linked monoshock.
Bajaj's Freedom 125 is powered by a 125cc single-cylinder four-stroke air-cooled engine which can run on both petrol and CNG, and the engine can produce 9.5 PS of max power at 8000 RPM and 9.7 Nm of peak torque at 5000 RPM.
The CNG tank of the bike is neatly placed under the seat.
Bajaj claims the motorcycle will offer 200km range on CNG and 130km on petrol, and its top speed will be 90.5 kmph and 93.4 kmph on CNG and petrol, respectively.
Bajaj says the Freedom 125 CNG bike will be available in three variants — NG04 Drum, NG04 Drum LED, and NG04 Disc LED — with ex-showroom prices starting at Rs 95,000.
The NG04 Drum, NG04 Drum LED and NG04 Disc LED variants of the Freedom 125 bike are priced at Rs 95,000, Rs 1.05 lakh, and Rs 1.10 lakh, respectively. All are ex-showroom prices.
According to Bajaj Auto, the Freedom 125 is featured with a reverse LED console and Bluetooth connectivity.
The CNG motorcycle will be available in seven colour options — Carribean Blue, Pewter Grey/Black, Cyber White, Ebony Black/Grey, Racing Red, Cyber White, Pewter Grey/Yellow, and Ebony Black/Red.
Bajaj says it targets a market for exports that includes six countries, including Egypt, Africa and Bangladesh, and it will start delivering the CNG bike in a phased manner across India from the next quarter onwards.
As demonstrated by Bajaj in the Freedom 125 launch event, the CNG bike has undergone 11 safety tests, including a 'truck rollover test'.
The 'truck rollover test' found that despite being crushed under the truck tires, the CNG tank was intact and the pressure was unchanged.
Meanwhile, as Bajaj Auto launches the world's first-ever CNG and petrol supported bike, the company's shares are up 2 percent to an intra-day high of Rs 9,660.
According to market reports, Bajaj Auto shares have been seeing steady gains in the past six months.
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