Bajaj to export Qute quadricycle to 16 countries; awaits SC verdict for India launch

Bajaj Auto has launched the qualicycle RE60 for export to 16 countries even as the automaker awaits a supreme court verdict before it launches the vehicle in India.

Now called 'Qute, the quadricycle will be exported to Latin America, Africa, Europe and Asia at price of around $2000.

"With Qute we are now raising the bar and ushering in a new solution of transportation that is cleaner, safer and more comfortable," Bajaj Auto President, International Business, Rakesh Sharma said.

The company's partners across Asia Africa, Latin America and Europe are excited about the growth opportunities that the vehicle offers, he added.

Bajaj Auto will be manufacturing the Qute quadricycle at the company's Aurangabad facility, which has the capacity of producing 55,000 units. The shipments for the export markets will begin at September end. Initially, Bajaj will export about 100 units per month.

The Qute quadricycle is powered by a new water-cooled, DTSi 4 valve engine, which gives out a fuel efficiency of 36 km per litre.

It can reach a top speed of up to 70 km per hour.

Bajaj Auto claimes that Qute will be used as an intra-city vehicle, and is the first India-made quadricycle to meet stringent European norms.

In India, the company is still waiting for the Supreme Court's word on quadricycles.

Bajaj Auto had showcased the RE60 in 2012 as a mini four-wheeler powered by a 200-cc rear-mounted petrol engine for intra-city urban transport targeting three wheeler customers. Although it was ready for launch, RE60 was mired in legal tangles which the company claimed was "created by vested interests" by filing multiple petitions in various high courts, questioning the government process in creation of this new category.

Managing Director Bajaj Auto, Rajiv Bajaj told CNBC TV-18 that the company wanted to launch the vehicle first in India.

The next hearing of the PIL relating to RE60 falls on October 13.

There was been a word in the industry that the quadricycle RE60, may be used for public transport purposes. Bajaj, while speaking with CNBC said that the company is looking to tie up with app-based taxi services, Uber and Ola, for the RE60.

Bajaj Auto, which had earlier attempted to develop an ultra low cost (ULC) in partnership with Renault-Nissan alliance, decided against it due to differences between the partners on pricing and design, and instead chose to focus on the quadricycle.