Will Bajaj Extend Its V Range Of Bikes With Decommissioned INS Viraat?

The Indian Navy's former flagship aircraft carrier, INS Viraat, will be decommissioned at sunset on Monday, March 6, 2017 after nearly six decades in service. According to Navy Chief Sunil Lamba, if no buyer is found for the ship in four months, it will be broken up and sold for scrap. Of course, there are other options being considered - like converting the old ship into a museum and even sinking it to convert into a major tourist attraction for divers.

The INS Viraat spent 30 years in the Indian Navy after 27 years in the Royal Navy and played a major role in 1989 in the Sri Lankan peacekeeping operation and was also used during Operation Parakram following the 2001 Parliament attack. The ship will be decommissioned today with former commanders of the aircraft carrier being present at the ceremony.

Now, if the INS Viraat is indeed headed for the scrapyard in Alang, Gujarat, does it make sense for a company like Bajaj Auto to buy the scrap metal, something on the lines of what Bajaj did with the INS Vikrant that resulted in the birth of the Bajaj V series motorcycles? When contacted, Bajaj Auto declined to comment on the possibility. In any case, the future of the INS Viraat is uncertain at the moment.

(Bajaj V15)

Bajaj's heritage line of motorcycles comprising the V series is highly successful, with the Bajaj V15 selling an average of 20,000 bikes in the last six months. The V15 is powered by a 149.5 cc, single-cylinder, four-stroke, SOHC, air-cooled engine which makes 12 bhp power and peak torque of 13 Nm at 5500rpm. The success of the Bajaj V15 has led to the extension of the heritage range with the launch of the V12 in January this year, with identical styling and a smaller 125 cc engine. It's early days to yet to gauge market response for the V12, and the company is planning a marketing campaign around the V12 and also make it available across different regions in the country.

(Bajaj V12)

So, the question is, will Bajaj replicate the success of the V series with more raw metal from the INS Viraat, if at all it heads to the scrapyard? As of now, there's no word from Bajaj on any such development, but it certainly seems to make sense for Bajaj to acquire some more metal from the Viraat, and give Bajaj more marketing relevance as well as longevity to expand its heritage motorcycle range.