A day after Bajaj Auto Managing Director Rajiv Bajaj took a dig at electric-vehicle manufacturers, saying legacy automobile companies are champions and they eat OATS (Ola, Ather, Tork and SmartE) in breakfast, the electric two-wheeler maker Ather Energy made a witty riposte by announcing that it was launching a new line of products—OATs for champions.
“Launching our new line of products for a quicker and smarter start to the day — OATs for champions. Recommended by experts,” the official Twitter account of Ather Energy tweeted.
Launching our new line of products for a quicker and smarter start to the day — OATs for champions 🥣
— Ather Energy (@atherenergy) October 29, 2021
Recommended by experts.#NationalOatmealDay pic.twitter.com/f8XMBQQ42k
Taking a swipe at the legacy automobile companies, the post shared by Ather Energy shared a picture of a packet of OATS that mentions – ‘for when you need that instant pick-up’, which refers to instant acceleration offered by electric two-wheelers as against their gasoline counterparts.
Rajiv Bajaj targets fledgling EVs, says legacy companies would eat them in breakfast
The post was uploaded, presumably in jest, after Rajiv Bajaj targeted EV startups like Ola, Ather, Torks and SmartE(OATS) on the launch of new Pulsar 250 CC this week. Bajaj said he would bet on BET(Bajaj, Enfield, TVS), for they have a proven track record.
Bajaj’s primary assertion was that EV startups are chiefly cash-burning businesses while the legacy behemoths were cash-flow businesses. He said champions like Bajaj, Enfield and TVS have always adapted to evolving market dynamics. They have successfully adapted on various fronts, be it cost, competition or new regulations. And they have capabilities to adapt again in the emerging EV ecosystem. He said that EV startups should not take established players lightly.
“I’m going to bet on BET. BET means Bajaj, Enfield and TVS. They are champions and they have a proved track record…We are champions and we eat OATS(Ola, Ather, Torks and SmartE) for breakfast,” Bajaj said.
What do champions eat for breakfast? For Rajiv Bajaj, it’s OATS.
— BloombergQuint (@BloombergQuint) October 28, 2021
Read: https://t.co/uMfTERJlF9 pic.twitter.com/mKh23wE0ah
Besides the biting remarks against EV startups, Bajaj also slammed Ola for not delivering even a single piece till date. Railing against the new startup companies, Bajaj said making customers wait for deliveries and creating unnecessary hype is what the new companies have mastered in.
By contrast, established players like Bajaj thrive on a cash flow model, Bajaj cited. He said his company is 75 years old and know how to tackle numerous hurdles in its way.
