Over the last month, Prashant R Ahir and his team at Bajaj Auto have been on a Bharat Darshan of sorts with Qute. Since March 15, the quadricycle has entered Kerala, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Orissa with Maharashtra being the latest addition on Thursday. As DGM (Business Planning), Intracity Business Unit, Ahir is quite excited about Qute’s prospects in India though these are early days yet. However, there is reason to feel optimistic at least going by the initial feedback coming in from Kerala where users have given the thumbs up to the quadricycle for its easy manoeuvrability on the State’s narrow roads. The other positive is its mileage at 35 kmpl, which is ideal for commercial applications.
As Ahir says in a phone interview from Pune, Qute is a segment creator of sorts since there is no other vehicle of its type present now in the country. Bajaj Auto has had to wait for six years since the time it first showcased it as the RE60 at the 2012 Auto Expo. Today, it has been given the go-ahead for use on Indian roads but this will still involve getting individual approvals from Regional Transport Offices across different States. “As an intracity commuting option, Qute is the best bet,” reiterates Ahir. As he says, it is a 216 cc vehicle that is much lighter than a car and whose speed is restricted to 30 kmph. In crowded cities, it is safer than a three-wheeled autorickshaw and more economical to use than a car.
Further, continues Ahir, there is the added advantage of compressed natural gas (CNG) as an alternative fuel option which is already available in two of its markets: Gujarat and Maharashtra. The CNG Qute can deliver up to 45 km/kg which is even more economical than petrol-driven scooters and motorcycles.
Access to CNG, however, is still confined to a handful of States, including Delhi, but the Centre has big plans to spread its reach. It is also evident in the passenger car space that diesel is slowly yielding to petrol ever since its subsidy element has been removed and it has become pricier in the process.
Trends like these give Ahir and his team at Bajaj Auto the confidence that there is tremendous potential for Qute even while it is still a learning experience for them. “We are telling people to test it, touch and feel it since this is the only way to get familiar with an all-new offering,” he says. In the process, interested users could find some new applications coming in from Qute which, in turn, will be useful inputs to its manufacturer too. These could be both in the personal and commercial space where the biggest benefit is clearly the cost of ownership.
Ahir believes that some potential customers could include a section of autorickshaw drivers who have been around for years and are keen on graduating to something bigger. They cannot afford to buy a taxi but Qute will be within their reach. Likewise, there could be the conventional black-and-yellow taxi drivers who are not owners but drawing a salary. To them, something like Qute may just end up being an attractive lateral move. It will be easy on their pockets both from the viewpoint of acquisition and operating costs.
In Ahir’s view, there could be more takers for Qute’s commercial applications given that it is about operating costs by the end of the day. On the other hand, a two-wheeler rider may be more inclined to graduating to a car or stay content with his scooter or motorcycle. Likewise, a car user will not shift to a quadricycle and, at best, the personal space will see applications for short distances like dropping kids to school and so on. As Ahir says, it will take time for people to take to Qute and volumes will gradually grow with market acceptance.
Going forward, Bajaj Auto plans to launch the quadricycle in Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Bihar and the North East. Once RTO approvals come in for other States like Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh, Qute will have made a much larger national footprint. The next challenge is to grow the buyer base and generate volumes.