Bajaj Auto's exports and brand new "The World's Favourite Indian" campaign creative hailed by Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant. Watch here

Iconic Indian two/three-wheeler major Bajaj Auto has been hailed by Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant as being a shining exemplar of the Make In India initiative, and also for a recent campaign it has launched to showcase how it has spread its and Indian manufacturing's wings far beyond the nation's borders. 

Kant was in attendance at a Bajaj Auto campaign event where he remarked on the extraordinary export numbers churned out by the Pune-based company on a yearly basis. He put forth that Bajaj exports over 2 million (20 lakh) vehicles per year to 70 countries around the world and cited its passion and engineering chops.

The "The World's Favourite Indian" campaign and associated creative that he refers to has to do with an ad film: 

The film begins in India, seemingly at its extremes - first south and then clearly in the desolate and starkly beautiful north. Very quickly, however, it heads further north - Russia north - bringing famous Muscovite monuments and cityscapes to the fore before a troop of bikers on Bajaj motorbikes takes off on another adventure. Very quickly the scene shifts to Mexico where even more bikers join in, proceeding to a Giraffe-filled Africa, then Malaysia, Turkey and the Hagia Sofia, Egypt and finally, Dubai. 

The creative, which Amitabh Kant has described as fascinating, encapsulates how a company and brand that has its roots firmly in India (it's earlier Humaara Bajaj campaign jingle is part of Indian advertising folklore) has now evolved to become a global force, leading the way in terms of India's two-wheeler exports which at 5.6 lakh in the April-July 2018 quarter roughly equalled the sum total of the export figures of its nearest six competitors, while maintaining a remarkable 26% growth rate. The Make In India initiative refers to the flagship industry-focused movement launched by the Government of India for both domestic and foreign companies to manufacture in India for sales in India and abroad.

That the automobile industry - meaning not just the big marques but also their vast and interconnected supply chains - has become a beacon for the development of manufacturing and engineering in the country is backed by some stellar growth numbers. As per the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), in April-July 2018, over automobile exports were growing at a rate of over 16%. SIAM also reports that over 40 lakh passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, three-wheelers and two-wheelers were exported in 2017-18. Of these, two-wheelers formed the bulk, at an extraordinary 28 lakh units exported.