Bajaj Auto has said that it plans to produce 5000 units per month of its much delayed quadricycle, the RE60. These vehicles will be produced at the Bajaj's Aurangabad manufacturing facility.
Rajiv Bajaj, Managing Director of Bajaj Auto, said that though an in-principle go ahead has been given by the Government, production on a commercial basis will commence only after a Government-appointed committee defines the category to be given to this vehicle.
Talking about the reason to look at a committee report, Commercial Vehicle President at Bajaj Auto, R C Maheshwari, said, "The government has given us an in-principle approval to create this new class of four-wheelers or quadricycles". He further added, "A committee is working on regulations and norms for such vehicles. We understand that the process for the final inclusion of this new class in the commercial vehicles segment will take a few months more." However, there is no clear time frame to determine when the committee would give its report.
There have also been other issues in the past with respect to the feasibility of this project. One issue is the safety factor, where supporters argue that the RE60 would be much more stable than three wheelers. However, it is now known that such vehicles do not have any crumple zones on the side and front. In addition, it is also not clear what kind of emission norms will hold true for this vehicle.
As per Bajaj Auto, the RE60 is expected to deliver a mileage of 35 kmpl, along with low emissions. When this vehicle was revealed at the 2012 Delhi Auto Expo, Rajiv Bajaj had clearly mentioned that he did not want it to be slotted in the same category as four wheelers and so it came to be known as a 'quadricycle'.
