- Bajaj likely to restart bookings for the Chetak in July
- Had to suspend production and bookings due to interrupted supply chain
- Imports battery cells from China
Bajaj Auto had suspended the production and bookings of the Chetak electric in April due to the nationwide lockdown imposed to contain the spread of COVID-19 virus. Now, a new report suggests that the bookings for the electric scooter are likely to reopen from next month, July 2020.
Speaking with a media publication, Bajaj’s Executive Director Rakesh Sharma stated that due to the fact that one component of the scooter comes from Wuhan, China, the supply chain has been interrupted. These components are battery cells which come to India via Bajaj’s own vendor partner. Now that the supply of these battery cells have restarted, the production will resume shortly. If the supply of all components of the Chetak comes back on track, the decision on reopening the bookings will also be taken by mid-July.
As Bajaj has already announced, deliveries of the Chetak booked before 29 February will take place between August and September while those booked after the said date will be delivered only after September. The scooters will be delivered as per the booking sequence.
The Bajaj Chetak electric was launched in India in January 2020. Currently, it is only available in Pune and Bangalore while other cities are expected to receive it in the coming months. Available in two variants, the Chetak electric costs Rs 1 lakh (Urbane) and Rs 1.15 lakh (Premium) (both prices are ex-showroom).