Bajaj Holdings & Investment Ltd (BHIL) (formerly known as Bajaj Auto Ltd) is an India-based company. The company is acting as a primary investment company and focusing on new business opportunities. B
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HIL holds strategic stakes of 31.54% in Bajaj Auto Ltd. (BAL), 39.29% in Bajaj Finserv Ltd. (BFS) and 24% in Maharashtra Scooters Ltd. (MSL). BHIL is essentially an investment company. Its focus is on earning income through dividends, interest and profits on investments held. It is largely dependent on the equity and debt markets for its income.
Bajaj Holdings & Investment Ltd was incorporated in the year 1945 as Bachraj Trading Corporation Pvt Ltd. In the year 1948, the company commenced their sales in India by importing two and three wheelers. In the year 1959, Bajaj Auto obtained license for the manufacturing of two and three wheelers and in the year 1960, they became a public limited company.
In the year 1972, Bajaj introduced 'Chetak' the famous scooter brand for which Bajaj is known. In the year 1975, the company formed a joint venture namely Maharashtra Scooters Ltd and in the year 1985, the manufacturing unit at Waluj, Aurangabad was inaugurated. In the year 1986, the company introduced Bajaj M-80 and the Kawasaki Bajaj KB 100, which is a technical tie-up with Kawasaki Heavy Industries of Japan. They also introduced Bajaj Sunny and Kawasaki Bajaj 4S Champion in the year 1990 and 1991 respectively.
In the year 1995, the company signed an agreement with Kubota of Japan for the development of diesel engines for three-wheelers and with Tokyo R&D for the ungeared Scooters and moped development. In the year 1997, the company introduced Kawasaki Bajaj Boxer and the RE diesel Autorickshaw.
During the year 1999-2000, the company launched a new Boxer, the Saffire, M80 Major and a range of four-stroke three wheelers using petrol and CNG. In October 20, 1999, the third manufacturing plant of the company at Chakan in Pune was inaugurated.
With the opening of the insurance sector, the company entered into joint venture agreements with Allianz AG, Germany, for setting up two separate companies, namely Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Co Ltd and Allianz Bajaj Life Insurance Co Ltd. Bajaj Auto and Allianz signed two separate joint venture agreements for these two businesses and had respectively committed 74% and 26% of the initial share capital of Rs 110 crore in case of the general insurance venture and Rs 150 crore in case of the life insurance venture.
During the year 2000-01, the company completed the installation of 112 windmills of 0.35 MW each with a total capacity of 39.2 MW at Vankusavade in Satara District. In January 2001, thee company launched a new product, namely 'The Eliminator' and in November 2001, they launched their premium bike segment 'Pulsar'.
During the year 2001-02, the company designed a 125 cc motorcycle with Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd and upgraded the Boxer and developed a variant of their popular Caliber motorcycle called Caliber Croma. They also developed a 112 cc four-stroke scooter engine and that had been adopted on Chetak four-stroke scooter. By December 2001, 20 windmills of 1 MW capacity were completed at Supa in Ahmednagar and also commissioned 6 windmills of 1 MW capacity each at Vankusavade, Satara district on March 30, 2002.
During the year 2002-03, the company expanded their capacity in Waluj and Chakan to support the increasing demand for motorcycles. They launched Caliber 115 motorcycle, which was popularly called 'Hoodibabaa' and sub 100 cc motorcycle, the 'BYK', for the entry level market. In March 2003, they launched a diesel rear engine goods carrier GC 1000.
During the year 2003-04, the company unveiled a new corporate identity for themselves. The white and blue hexagonal symbol with Bajaj Auto in small lettering has now been replaced by a refreshing new 'flying B' symbol with the Bajaj logo-type in capital letters. They launched a newly developed 125 cc motorcycle branded as 'Wind 125' in collaboration with Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd, Japan. They developed Chetak 4S with a new 125 cc engine and having a unique gear shifting mechanism. Also, they developed a new gearless scooter 'Wave' with a continuously variable transmission (CVT) drive.
In May 2004, the company launched their CT 100, a bike that is technologically designed to give the benefits of the value segment, but at an entry level price. In September 2004, they launched the 125 cc 'Discover' and in November 2004, they launched upgraded versions of both Pulsar 150 and 180, with additional features such as ExhausTEC, alloywheels and Nitrox Gas Shock Absorber. In the three-wheeler segment, the company launched a larger diesel passenger vehicle 'Mega'. They also launched a variant of the Pick-up version with Hi-Deck tray.
During the year 2005-06, the company launched Pulsar 180 DTS-i and the Avenger DTS-i during the year. In December 2005, they launched a variant of Discover with an 110cc engine. The company opened a new Pro-biking showroom in Pune exclusively for the high-end bikes - Pulsar 180 DTS-i and Avenger DTS-i during the year.
During the year 2006-07, the company incorporated PT Bajaj Auto Indonesia as a subsidiary company in Indonesia with an issued and subscribed capital of US$ 12,500,000. In April 30, 2007, the company incorporated two wholly owned subsidiaries, namely Bajaj Holdings & Investment Ltd and Bajaj Finserv Ltd with an initial authorized and paid up capital of Rs 20 million each.
In April 2007, the company inaugurated their greenfield plant with a planned capacity of one million motorcycles per year at Pantnagar, Uttarakhand. The Pantnagar facility is the company's fourth plant, and the first outside Maharashtra. Also, the company received the formal approval from the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India for the setting up of a Special Economic Zone at Waluj Industrial Area in Aurangabad district.
Until March 31, 2007, the company was engaged in the business of manufacturing and trading in two and three wheelers, financial services businesses comprising insurance, retail finance and financial product distribution, wind farm business and investments activity. Considering the growth opportunities in the auto, wind-energy, insurance and finance sectors, the company de-merged their activities into three separate entities, each of which can focus on their core businesses and strengthen competencies.
The auto business of the holding company along with all assets and liabilities pertaining thereto including investments in PT Bajaj Auto Indonesia and in a few vendor companies was transferred to Bajaj Investment & Holding Ltd. In addition a total of Rs 15,000 million in cash and cash equivalents also transferred to Bajaj Investment & Holding Ltd.
The wind power project, investments in the insurance companies, namely Bajaj Allianz Life insurance Co Ltd, Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Co Ltd and the investment in the consumer finance company Bajaj Auto Finance Ltd along with relevant assets and liabilities was transferred to Bajaj Finserv Ltd. In addition a total of Rs 8,000 million in cash and cash equivalents also transferred to Bajaj Finserv Ltd.
The remaining assets and liabilities including investments in group companies and balance cash and cash equivalents were retained in the existing company. As the part of the scheme, the existing Bajaj Auto Ltd was renamed as Bajaj Holdings and Investment Ltd. The appointed date of this de-merger was closing hours of business on March 31, 2007. A fresh certificate of incorporation in the new name of the company has been issued by the Registrar of companies, Maharashtra, on March 5, 2008.
On 31 January 2017, BHIL's Board of Directors approved proposal for delisting the company's GDRs from the London Stock Exchange. The GDRs were delisted from the London Stock Exchange with effect from 24 March 2017.
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