The Bajaj Qute, earlier called Bajaj RE60, is a

rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive In automotive design, an RR, or rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout places both the engine and drive wheels at the rear of the vehicle. In contrast to the RMR layout, the center of mass of the engine is between the rear axle and the rear bumpe ...

, four-passenger quadricycle built by the

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

n company

Bajaj Auto Bajaj Auto Limited () is an Indian multinational automotive manufacturing company based in Pune. It manufactures motorcycles, scooters and auto rickshaws. Bajaj Auto is a part of the Bajaj Group. It was founded by Jamnalal Bajaj (1889–1942) ...

and is aimed primarily at the Indian domestic market. The car was the first four-wheeler manufactured by Bajaj Auto, which was unveiled on 3 January 2012. In India, the Qute is not legally classified as a car. On 22 May 2013, The Central Government legally classified it as a quadricycle. It is unable to reach speeds of 90 km/h and is therefore only allowed to be used for commercial purposes to replace

auto rickshaws An auto rickshaw is a motorized version of the pulled rickshaw or cycle rickshaw. Most have three wheels and do not tilt. They are known by many terms in various countries including auto, auto rickshaw, baby taxi, mototaxi, pigeon, jonnybee, bajaj ...

History

In 2010, Bajaj Auto announced the cooperation with

Renault Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufactured ...

and

Nissan Motor , trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells its vehicles under the Nissan, Infiniti, and Datsun brands, ...

to develop of a US$2,500 car, aiming at a fuel-efficiency of (3.3 L/100 km), or twice an average small car, and carbon dioxide emissions of 100 g/km.

first unveiled the Bajaj Qute as the RE60 on 3 January 2012, at the 2012 Auto Expo in

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

. Bajaj Auto was best known for

scooters Scooter may refer to: Vehicles Ground Human or gravity powered * Eccentric-hub scooter, propelled by a standing rider making a bouncing motion * Kick scooter, propelled by a standing rider pushing off the ground * Knee scooter, a mobility device ...

and three-wheel

auto-rickshaw An auto rickshaw is a motorized version of the pulled rickshaw or cycle rickshaw. Most have three wheels and do not tilt. They are known by many terms in various countries including auto, auto rickshaw, baby taxi, mototaxi, pigeon, jonnybee, bajaj ...

s, and is India's second-largest two-wheeled vehicle maker and is a world leader in three-wheeled vehicles. The Qute is Bajaj's first foray into the four-wheel market. At its unveiling, the company announced that the car had high

fuel efficiency Fuel efficiency is a form of thermal efficiency, meaning the ratio of effort to result of a process that converts chemical potential energy contained in a carrier (fuel) into kinetic energy or work. Overall fuel efficiency may vary per device, wh ...

of and low carbon dioxide emissions. With a fare meter included in the base model's dashboard, the firm is targeting

drivers by offering a four wheeler as economical to run as a three-wheeler, but safer and more comfortable.

Technical specifications

The Qute is powered by a 217-cc single cylinder engine with a capability to generate power output of . The four wheeler has a metal-polymer monocoque body due to which it weighs . Turning radius of the first four wheeler of Bajaj is . Top speed is limited to .

Safety

The Qute in its standard European configuration received 1 star in the Euro NCAP Quadricycle Ratings in 2016.

Plan

Bajaj Auto plans to roll out 5,000 units/month of its much-delayed four-seater "quadricycle" Qute from its Aurangabad Plant and it is to be priced between

₹ The Indian rupee sign (₹) is the currency symbol for the Indian rupee (ISO 4217: INR), the official currency of India. Designed by D. Udaya Kumar, it was presented to the public by the Government of India on 15 July 2010, following its select ...

1.25

lakh A lakh (; abbreviated L; sometimes written lac) is a unit in the Indian numbering system equal to one hundred thousand (100,000; scientific notation: 105). In the Indian 2,2,3 convention of digit grouping, it is written as 1,00,000. For ex ...

and ₹2.5 lakh. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has decided to allow operation of quadricycles as passenger vehicles, besides commercial use. They have allowed 16-year-olds to drive only quadricycles. In 2019, Qute finally got all approvals for Indian roads after six years of legal fights and regulatory impediments. The governments of 22 states have approved it and already plying on the roads of six of those states:

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

Odisha Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...

, and

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...

In popular culture

A Bajaj Qute appears in the 2022 romantic comedy film '' The Lost City'', where it is used by the main characters before being destroyed.

References

External links

Official Bajaj Qute site
{{Bajaj Group Microcars Quadricycles Euro NCAP 4 seat heavy quadricycle Bajaj Auto 2010s cars Cars introduced in 2012 Rear-engined vehicles