Question: Isn't the Bajaj scooter just a copy of the old Vespa?

Let me make it clear that you will not hear any disparaging comments about Vespa® here.  Corradino d'Ascanio's innovative application of WW II aircraft technology to scooter design set the bar pretty high; an achievement to be respected and admired.

Before we decided to negotiate with Bajaj Auto Ltd. for sole US distribution privileges, we made several trips to the Bajaj factory to determine exactly what kind of product we would be dealing with.

Having had some manufacturing experience myself, I was pleasantly surprised to find an outstanding engineering department and world class manufacturing facilities with modern tooling and machinery.  It was obvious that Bajaj Auto MAKES scooters. They don’t assemble scooters from somebody else’s parts, they design and build from scratch.  From flat sheets of steel, they stamp their own chassis components then robotically weld them together. They build their own engines, they machine their own gears.  And the small components that are made by outside contractors are carefully scrutinized by a large quality control department before they get to the production line.

Bajaj Auto does make a few scooters that have a remote resemblance to the early Vespa®. Forty years ago, Bajaj Auto was building Vespa® scooter under license from Piaggio.  Splitting with Piaggio around 1970, Bajaj Auto set off on their own engineering and design path.

We are frequently asked if Bajaj parts will fit the old Vespas.  Pre-1970 Bajaj/ Vespa® parts will fit, but these parts are no longer manufactured by Bajaj.  There are some manufacturers that still make these parts, and some that are illegally selling them as official Bajaj-made components; some with a dubious reputation for quality.  Buyer beware!

Over the past 30 years, Bajaj engineering has made so many changes and improvements, down to the nuts and bolts of the scooter design, the only thing that remains of the Vespa® heritage is the clever and efficient monocoque chassis concept. You don’t throw out the baby with the bath water!

These re-engineered chassis are made with all new tooling. You would have considerable difficulty fitting an old 2 stroke Vespa® engine into this chassis. And to try to fit the new Bajaj-designed 4 stroke engine into your old Vespa® chassis would be nearly impossible. Somebody with enough skill and determination could do it, but why bother?  Buy a new Bajaj and this quiet and smooth 4-stroke engine comes with it.

In the interest of cleaner air, Bajaj Auto has made the commitment to phase out all of their 2 stroke engines. We will only be importing the scooters that have the clean-burning, fuel-efficient 4-stroke engines. These engines are modern designs with overhead valves and overhead camshafts.  Bajaj Auto is well qualified and well equipped to design their own engines.  Bajaj Auto has a large and talented engineering group that has technical/engineering partnerships with several major design houses and manufacturers.  Besides their own designs, Bajaj Auto also builds light motorcycles for Kawasaki.

Bajaj Auto has been designing and building their own brand of scooters for 30 years.  They are experienced, competent, superbly equipped, and committed to building tough and reliable scooters. Bajaj Auto exports scooters to over 75 countries, where they have earned an enviable reputation by building scooters that, used as primary transportation vehicles, have survived and endured on some of the roughest roads in the world.

Last year Bajaj Auto Ltd. built 750,000 scooters, more than any other manufacturer in the world.  With their scooter production, light motorcycles, and 3 wheelers combined, Bajaj Auto Ltd. builds 1.4 million vehicles a year.

The Bajaj scooters of today are nobody’s old design; they are Bajaj designed, Bajaj engineered, and Bajaj built.