Two-and-three wheeler manufacturer Bajaj Auto is planning to make an investment of Rs 300 crore for a new unit at Akurdi for manufacturing EVs.
The company said the unit will have a production capacity of 500,000 EVs per annum.
Notably, Akurdi (Pune) is also the site of the original Chetak scooter factory that made Bajaj Auto a household name in India.
“Going forward, for the Bajaj portfolio, except for implementing one ICE platform that is currently under development, all our R&D drive train resources are now laser focused on creating EV solutions for the future,” said Rajiv Bajaj, Managing Director, Bajaj Auto.
“The investment at Akurdi completes the virtuous cycle of hi-tech R&D competencies, high-efficiency engineering capabilities, world class supply chain synergies, and global distribution network which should leapfrog us into a market leading position in EVs in India and overseas.”
The new unit will have robotic and automated manufacturing systems for everything including logistics and material handling, fabrication and painting, assembly and quality assurance. The new unit is spread over half a million sq feet and will employ 800 employees.
Besides, the investment made by Bajaj Auto will be supplemented by a number of vendors, who will invest a further Rs 250 crore.
The first vehicle from this unit is expected to roll out by June 2022.