Mercedes SLS AMG Auto Expo 2012

The title might have thrown you slightly off guard! You might be wondering how are the indigenous 2-wheeler manufacturer, Bajaj Auto and the German luxury car maker, Mercedes Benz even remotely connected to each other. Well, apparently there is no connection between these 2 companies but one man shares the passion of both. Meet Mr. Armin G Groeger who works at the Mercedes Benz museum in Stuttgart, Germany. It does feel slightly awkward to see a classic piece of Indian 2-wheeler among a plethora of Mercedes Benz cars but nevertheless, Mr. Groeger is a lover of 2-wheelers.

The light beige coloured 1998 model of the Bajaj Chetak was bought by Mr. Groeger who saw it on an online sale ad in 2010. The Bajaj Chetak was one of the premium scooters to be launched at its time, such a premium product that customers had to wait for years before getting the delivery of their own scooter. However, with the advent of the motorcycling post liberalization era, the scooter market saw a gradual decline in sales volumes as consumers started to like the well balanced motorcycles compared to the Bajaj scooters. Bajaj, which ruled the scooter market with the Chetak (name of Rajput warrior Rana Pratap’s horse) brand also witnessed the same trend and the company finally discontinued the production of the model in 2009. Finally to good to hear that an employee surrounded by luxury cars actually loves the very Indian “Humara Bajaj”, a vehicle that made dreams come true for millions of people.

Bajaj Chetak

Bajaj Chetak 150

Source – TOI