The Bajaj RE60, after a lull of many months, is in news again! It has emerged the Supreme Court has finally lifted a stay order that prevented the launch of the much hyped Quadricycle. The Bajaj RE60 now awaits certification from ARAI. Once the RE60 receives clearance from ARAI, Bajaj is expected to rush the launch of this vehicle. It maybe noted that the RE 60 is expected to displace the auto-rickshaws from the intra-city transportation system. Here, in this post, we’ve put together all the available details on the Bajaj RE60 quadricycle.
Updated on 27th June 2014
The Bajaj RE60 Quadricycle could be launched in India by early 2015, if all goes to plan. The launch of the vehicle was delayed as the government had not given its nod to let quadricycles ply on Indian roads. Now the Ministry of Road and Transport, Government of India has stated that the class of vehicles will be allowed to commercially ply on roads by October, consecutively Bajaj has also stated that the RE60 will be available for sale as soon as the segment is allowed on the roads.
The RE60 and other quadricycles could revolutionise the last-mile connectivity segment in India, improving comfort and safety.
Updated on 13th January 2014
The Bajaj RE60 quadricycle, Bajaj’s first attempt to enter the 4-wheeler commercial passenger vehicle segment, was first showcased at the Auto Expo back in 2012. It was billed as an alternative to the auto rickshaws but it has not hit mass production till date. The company is believed to be awaiting the quadricycle policy to be launched by the Indian government so that it can go ahead with its launch. Till the time that happens, Bajaj Auto is merrily testing the RE60 in CNG guise as a urban taxi, the role it will don when it is launched later.
The Bajaj RE60 CNG is now being tested by the company and to get results as close as possible to the real world, it is testing the same with passengers inside it. The test driver of the vehicle was found asking the people for giving them a ride from point A to B. The company wants to get as close as possible to the real world conditions and this is precisely what would happen once it gets launched as a commercial passenger vehicle.
The company had first showcased the vehicle’s petrol variant which was propelled by a 200cc DTS-i motor which had a maximum power output of 20 BHP. But the one which was recently caught testing was the CNG variant. Bajaj seems to be working on the CNG variant of the RE60 because public transport vehicles in the major metros in the country are mandated be running on this cleaner fuel. The quadricycle has a top speed of 70 KMPH and delivers a mileage of 35 KMPL and coupled with CNG, it will be a way cheaper option to run.
The Bajaj RE60 quadricycle is expected to cost about Rs 1.4 Lakh, and the CNG variant is expected to cost about Rs 1.8 Lakh. According to the government’s policy on quadricycles, the vehicles should be affixed with a ‘Q’ sticker to signify their category, should have a seating capacity of 4, coupled with a hard top and wipers. It will have its usage limited to cities, towns and villages with highways being off limits for the vehicle. A quadricycle can run on LPG, Petrol or CNG. Those were the norms and Bajaj has pretty much met them. Now with the complete policy coming into effect in near future, we can expect the RE60 to hit the Indian roads and provide for a safer means of transport compared to the auto rickshaws.
What do you think of this new means of transport? Let us know in the comment section below.
[box type=”info” ]You can read more about the Bajaj RE60 quadricycle here[/box]
