NEW DELHI: It’s going to be a tough ride for Bajaj Auto, one of the oldest two-wheeler makers of the country. While the company has drawn up an ambitious plan to roll out a Tata Nano-type low-cost car, for time being, it needs to fight out a constant erosion of market share in bread-and-butter motorcycle segment.

And it’s a matter of concern for Bajaj Auto, considering the fact that bigger rival Hero Honda is gaining ground.

Bajaj, which at one time was closing in on Hero Honda, has seen its grip on the bike market going down by close to 6% in just 15 months. Its share slipped to 28.7% at the end of 2007-08 and further down to 26% at the end of the first quarter (April-June) of 2008-09, from 31.7% in 2006-07.

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