Bajaj Auto will make a renewed push for the Qute quadricycle by the end of the current fiscal year. The Qute, a smart taxi that fits between a three-wheeler and a car, claims to provide car-like comfort at the cost of a three-wheeler ride.
Qute- India’s First Quadricycle
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has introduced a new vehicle category called Qute, which is India’s first quadricycle. The four-wheeled, four-seater vehicle is allowed to be registered as a vehicle used for commercial purposes (taxi) only.
Before the start of Bharat Stage VI in Q1FY20, Bajaj Auto exclusively sold the Qute in a few markets, including Kerala, Gujarat, and Maharashtra. To serve the Bengaluru market, the Pune-based firm partnered with Uber, an app-based ride-sharing aggregator.
“Rideshare aggregators are a good platform to take the Qute proposition to the masses. In the limited period we had before BS-VI, we collaborated successfully with Uber for a pilot in Bengaluru and used feedback from 1 lakh customers. Post relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions and readiness of the product in October-November this partnership will be picked up again in Bengaluru and rolled out in other metros like Hyderabad. We expect sales of the Qute to commence in Q4 of this fiscal.”
Rakesh Sharma, executive director, Bajaj Auto.
Bajaj Auto Is Working On Electrifying The Qute
Bajaj Auto is also working on electrifying the Qute, according to Chetak. This is in keeping with its intentions to introduce electric three-wheelers in the second half of this year, which were initially set for the second half of this year.
“The introduction of Qute in India has been a long, arduous journey as it had to navigate the process of creating a new set of regulations at the Centre, followed by each state level. The Qute also has to conform to BS-VI standards. These were defined slightly later but this work will be completed for all variants of Qute by the end of Q3FY22. After which we should pick up the development effort for the creation of this new category,” Sharma added.
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