Bajaj Qute launched, India's first qudricycle is available at a starting price of INR 2.63 lakh

Bajaj introduced their four-wheeled replacement for the humble auto-rickshaw or ‘tuk-tuk’ way back in 2012. Called the Quite, the quadricycle project was well received by the media and potential customers, the project was shelved for almost half a decade in its home country, owing to dispute by major car manufacturers over the legality on its roads and the delay from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to greenlight the inclusion of the ‘quadricycle’ as a type of vehicle fit to ply on Indian roads. Meanwhile, Bajaj didn’t just sit back and twiddle its thumbs; the Qute was successfully launched and received in countries like Turkey and Indonesia, places where tight city streets and overpopulation are rampant in every corner.

​

However, after a long battle in the courts, the concerned authorities in India have finally agreed to introduce a new genre of vehicles, and the Qute is its pioneer. The company has launched the car, which sits above a three-wheeler and under a super-mini hatchback, at a starting price of INR 2.63 lakh (ex-showroom) in a petrol variant and INR 2.83 lakh (ex-showroom) for the CNG variant. The engine itself is Bajaj’s 216cc single-cylinder liquid-cooled DTS-i unit, capable of producing 13.1bhp at 5,500rpm and 18.9Nm of torque at  4,000rpm. Fitted with the CNG kit, however, the horsepower drops to 10.9bhp and torque to 16.1Nm.

Probably the sportiest fact about the Qute is that it is rear-engined, rear-wheel drive vehicle and that’s about it. The car is built for traversing tight streets of and between Tier II/Tier III cities. So naturally, the focus is on fuel efficiency and the Qute delivers on that front. Petrol variants get an efficiency rating of 35kmpl; white CNG variants provide a capability of 43km/kg. The rules for a quadricycle state that the vehicle should not be able to exceed 70 km/h while measuring a maximum of 3,000mm in length, 1,500mm in width and 2,500mm in height. The Qute measures 2,750mm x 1,312mm x 1,652mm, well under the required number. Apart from appealing to the commercial sector, India’s first quadricycle will also appeal to private first-time car buyers in small cities or people with large properties.

Be updated on the latest car news in India by visiting our website  - IndianAuto.com