There is just one final notification due from the Government which will give Bajaj Auto the go-ahead to operate the RE60 on Indian roads. While this is scheduled to happen within the next two months, there is no telling if the launch could be delayed even further.
From the company’s end, there are no production glitches but as Rajiv Bajaj, Managing Director, says, there are “some members of the industry” who are still opposed to the RE60 and the quadricycle concept. Should they seek legal intervention to delay its debut here, there is little that can be done.
Bajaj is categorical, though, that he is not going to wait forever to launch the RE60 even if it means India is out of the reckoning. Markets such as Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Colombia and Indonesia would “be more than delighted” to have the four-wheeler on their roads, he says.
Yet, the final notification from the Indian Government is critical because it will allow the company to be better aware of the specifications for the quadricycle and plan an aggressive global strategy.
In the meantime, reports are doing the rounds that a passenger version is ready and being tested overseas. It is believed to be ‘sleek and top-class’ but Bajaj refuses to comment on this piece of news. Thus far, it is only one version that has been displayed even though it was amply clear that the platform would spawn other options, including a personal mode of transport.
“From my point of view, the issue boils down to urban mobility which has become a challenge not only in India but across the world right from South America to Southeast Asia,” Bajaj says.
It is here, he adds, that the quadricycle is the best bet to overcome problems of traffic congestion which is fast becoming a global problem.
Hence, even while cities are evolving mobility solutions like the metro or BRTS, Bajaj believes the quadricycle will meet the important requirement of last-mile connectivity. “In most parts of the world, it is the ideal solution for intra city transport. It is compact, light and cannot go beyond a certain speed,” he says. And with a fuel efficiency of nearly 35 km/litre, it is light on the pocket too.
This is precisely why a quadricycle would work in markets like Europe too where age demographics are changing coupled with falling incomes. It explains why smaller motorcycles are being sought after and, as an extension, why the quadricycle could emerge a practical solution.
However, back home in India, the argument is not cutting much ice with the likes of Tata Motors, Maruti and TVS Motor. Carmakers could be concerned that the quadricycle will eat into their own businesses especially when it is likely to be competitively priced at under Rs 2-lakh.
Bajaj is flummoxed why everyone has got the issue “by the tail where the number of wheels has become an obsession”.
“Cars are a different play compared to this puny thing. Crash norms make the car beefier and heavier, affecting emissions and mileage as a result,” he had told this paper on a previous occasion.
As for safety concerns, which a section of industry believes is relevant to the RE60, Bajaj had said, “How a four-wheeler can be considered unsafe beats me when you acknowledge the presence of two- and three-wheelers on the road.”