More Pulsars Incoming In 2026, Says Rajiv Bajaj

Bajaj Auto’s Managing Director, Rajiv Bajaj, recently, in an interview with a media house, revealed the Pune-based bikemakers' plans for the upcoming year. In the interview, Rajiv said that the brand is gearing up for a milestone year as the company prepares an aggressive product strategy for 2026 — one that will be headlined by a complete overhaul of the Pulsar lineup as the iconic brand enters its 25th year.

2026: A Wave of New Pulsars Incoming

A few weeks back, Bajaj’s Executive Director, Rakesh Sharma, confirmed the upcoming Bajaj bike launch plans in a recent earnings call. He said,  “We’ve got a few introductions starting from December in the Pulsar range, and there will be some in March and then in May. So we've got at least three good model introductions in December, March, and May,”. Now with Rajiv Bajaj’s confirmation, it’s pretty evident that the launch plans are on track. 

We recently witnessed the launch of the new variant of the Pulsar N160 in India, so with that out of the way, expect the next launch to be a 125cc Pulsar. The 125cc segment has witnessed a major growth in the recent past. Cases in point are Hero launching the Glamour X 125; updated Hero Xtreme 125R, and TVS launching the dual-channel ABS variant of the TVS Raider 125. 

As far as Bajaj is concerned, Rajiv Bajaj mentioned that two-thirds of its sales come from the Pulsar brand. With the Pulsar turning 25 years old, Rajiv calls the upcoming year “the year of the Pulsar”, promising multiple waves of new models rolling out through 2026. Consequently, expect the first new model to be a 125cc Pulsar, based on the Pulsar N125, but with a different design possibly aimed at a wide range of buyers. Bajaj relies on strength in numbers, and this is evident on its sales numbers too. In fact, in October, the Pulsar 125 range was the second best-selling 125cc bike in India, just behind the segment leader Honda Shine 125. 

KTM’s India Momentum & Global Reset

With the KTM acquisition now fully approved, Bajaj Auto is seeing strong gains both domestically and in export markets. The recent rollout of new models, including the updated Adventure range and the new 160 Duke, have pushed KTM’s retail numbers to their highest ever in India.

Globally, the KTM turnaround is being driven by a “less is more” strategy. The brand has cleared excess 12-month inventory, exited divisions like bicycles and cars, and is now refocusing on KTM and Husqvarna as its primary motorcycle brands. According to Rajiv, the reset positions KTM strongly for the medium term.

Premium Motorcycle Plans Unchanged Despite GST Hike

Commenting on the recent GST increase on motorcycles above 350cc, Bajaj warned that the move could reduce the premium segment and restrict manufacturers’ ability to build world-class big bikes here in India. However, despite domestic challenges, Rajiv reiterated that Bajaj Auto’s product and investment roadmap remains unchanged for the foreseeable future.

Across Pulsar, Dominar, KTM and Triumph, Bajaj Auto is neck-and-neck with Royal Enfield in the global 250cc+ export market spanning 108 countries. With such a broad international footprint, the company said it sees no reason to slow down development of larger motorcycles.

Bajaj-KTM are working on a parallel-twin engine platform for the KTM lineup, and it will be made in India. No, it will not be the KTM RC 450 that was recently spotted, but something that’s in line with not only the Indian market, but also Europe and other international markets outside of China. 

In a related development, Bajaj Auto is reported to launch the next-generation of the Pulsar Classic series in 2026.

Source