Bajaj RE60 Ready to Launch; Waiting for Government Clearance

Bajaj Auto, India's second largest two-wheeler maker is all set to launch its quadricycle, codenamed as RE60 in the Indian auto industry. The company is waiting for the clearance from the government to make regulations for this type of vehicle. The company is hoping that the regulations would be done in the next few months.

Rajiv Bajaj, managing director of Bajaj Auto said that ” I am hopeful that it will happen this year. It will take a few more months for the government to conclude the report”. The RE60 will be positioned between a traditional auto rickshaw and a car. The car is a lightweight four-wheeler, which can be used as a family as well as a commercial vehicle. RE60 is quite a different vehicle from a modern-day car, but one can easily notice that it is an improved and more appropriate replacement for a three-wheeler, and cheaper than a car.

The four-wheeler was showcased at the 2012 Auto Show held in Delhi, and waiting for the Government to issue regulations and rules for the vehicle. The RE60 doesn't fall under any of the existing segment and government has appointed a committee to form regulations for this vehicle. Nitin Gorkarn, former joint secretary in the road transport and highway minister, who is currently headed the National Automotive Testing and R&D infrastructure Project has been asked to present a report on the proposal.

It is expected that Bajaj RE60 will be priced in between 1.5 to 2 lakh, as now-a-days a passenger three-wheeler is available at a cost of around Rs. 1.5 lakh and a passenger four-wheeler costs around Rs. 2.1 lakh. The company will brand this vehicle as an option to the auto rickshaw. The RE60 will offer better comfort, mileage, power and safety when compared to three-wheeler passenger vehicles. The small four-wheeler will be powered by a 216-cc, DTSi petrol engine, and one can make it a CNG vehicle as well. The future auto rickshaw will offer a fuel efficiency of 40kmpl and produce an emissions of less than 100 grams of CO2 per km. The company is expected to launch the diesel powered RE60 at a later stage. 

Manufacturers like Piaggio Vehicles and Mahindra & Mahindra have also shown their interest in manufacturing quadricycles. The regulations for this quadricycles has also been facing several hurdles with some companies standing against the government that they should provide some time period for them to develop the vehicle. If this regulations takes more time than Bajaj Auto will export RE60 until the regulation passes. The company is ready to export this vehicle to markets like Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and Latin American countries.

Bajaj Auto believes that more RE60s will be sold Internationally than the Indian market. European automotive market alone sees annual requirements of around 30,000 to 40,000 units. Currently, the three-wheeler sales in India stands at 500,000 units per annum.

Source : Business Standard

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