A bunch of middle-aged seasoned riders line up for their journey on twisty mountain passes that could look enticing to even the most dejected soul in the world.

But instead of having a tanked-up and loaded high-powered bike, the unvaried riders are sitting atop a bunch of elephants! The thump of a running two-wheeler engine in the background is unmistakably that of a Royal Enfield.

Suddenly, the roar of mid-capacity engine tears through thick foliage where three riders riding the Bajaj Dominar are seen racing toward the elephant herd. Carefully making their way through, the Dominars vroom past the dejected-looking elephant riders effortlessly.

Later, this new television commercial of Dominar by Bajaj Auto that hit the market last weekend, takes a wild but veiled dig at Royal Enfield with a concluding one liner ‘Hathi Mat Palo (don’t make elephants your pets), Dominar 400 Go Hyperiding’.

Bajaj is gunning for this disruptive marketing ploy for the Dominar 400 to take Royal Enfield head on. Priced slightly above a 350cc Royal Enfield Classic the 375cc-powered Dominar 400 is deliberately positioned by Bajaj as a sporty alternative to the aging Royal Enfield.

But to be sure the Dominar 400 is not new in the market and has been in Bajaj showrooms since December last year. Volumes of the premium priced at Rs 1.41 lakh have not been encouraging for Bajaj.

From around 3,000-3,500 units a month in the initial three months following the launch Dominar 400 volumes dipped to around 2,000 in April and further slumped to 882 units in May and to 927 in June. The bike was amongst the models that saw an increase in price under GST. The Dominar is not only the most expensive bike under the Bajaj brand it is also the most powerful bike by Bajaj.

Meanwhile, sales of Royal Enfield bikes having engines not bigger than 350cc grew by 29 percent during April-July to 231,466 units as per disclosures made by the Eicher-owned, Delhi-based company.

The mid-capacity segment, presently dominated by Royal Enfield models, is growing by a resounding growth every month. From the likes of Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Beneli, Hyosung, KTM, Yamaha and even Mahindra have tried to break into Royal Enfield’s turf without much success.

Bajaj, meanwhile, has assured that Dominar volumes will climb to 10,000 units a month (domestic + exports) by March next year.

This is, however, not the first time that Bajaj has poked fun at its rivals. In 2012 Bajaj’s Discover 125 indirectly chides Hero Motocorp’s Splendor and Passion.