Unveiled a day before the 2016 Auto Expo, new Bajaj V15 is a commuter class touring motorcycle. It is powered by a 150 cc single cylinder DTSi engine which generates 12 PS power and 13 Nm torque. A completely new motorcycle, the talking point of the new Bajaj V15 is that it has been built from scrap metal of INS Vikrant, Indian Navy’s first ever aircraft carrier.
Yes, the same INS Vikrant which played a major role in the 1971 Indo-Pak war. This iconic vessel was decommissioned by the government in 1997, post which it was open to public as a museum while docked in Mumbai.
Due to security concerns, in 2012, it was decided that the ship be dismantled. In 2014, dismantling of INS Vikrant commenced. It is around the same time that marketing team from Leo Burnett, a world famous advertising agency chanced upon the idea of buying scrap metal from INS Vikrant and using it in a new Bajaj motorcycle. And this is how Bajaj V15 was born / conceptualized.
So how much metal have Bajaj Auto bought? At the time of unveiling, Bajaj did not reveal the quantity of metal procured, but they did say that they have bought all the available scrap metal and that it was enough for a few lakh units.
Now, it has emerged that the amount of metal bought by Bajaj Auto stands at a total of 3 metric tonne or 3,000 kg. This includes 1,000 kg of aluminium and 2,000 kg of iron and steel. And for the purchase of this scrap metal, they paid Rs 1.8 lakh.
Bajaj claims V15 is their proudest creation yet. Aiming to sell about 20,000 units a month, it is the fuel tank of the Bajaj V15 which consists a few grams of metal from INS Vikrant, while the remaining metal is procured from regular suppliers.
Photos
via economictimes
