Bajaj RE60 Four Wheeler: A genuine auto rickshaw alternative!

I remember an incident involving the CEO of a top global electronic firm, who was in India to attend a symposium on the electronics industry. At that time, yours truly was also at the symposium as a student of engineering. Tasked with taking the delegates around and showing them the sights and sounds of the city, this particular gentleman was assigned to me. He wanted to go around Bangalore in an autorickshaw, a vehicle which the CEO seemed smitten with for its sheer novelty. But the advisory list handed over to me clearly prohibited it, for the travel insurance that CEO was traveling with explicitly listed the auto rickshaw as a dangerous mode of transport.

Bajaj RE60 Four Wheeler at the 2012 Indian Auto Expo

While it is of another matter that most of us have happily commuted in autorickshaws throwing perceptions to the wind, this incident left a lasting impression on my mind, of that of many countries around the world perceiving the ubiquitous Indian autorickshaw as an unsafe mode of transport. Many winters have passed since that incident occurred but it all seem to be coming back at the 2012 Indian Auto Expo, when I laid my eyes on the RE60 Four Wheeler that Bajaj Auto exhibited at the exposition, the sole product it showcased. The RE60, which was originally conceived as a passenger car under the Renault-Nissan-Bajaj alliance is now more of a passenger carrier with Renault and Nissan promptly ejecting out of the project.

Bajaj RE60 Four Wheeler at the 2012 Indian Auto Expo

Going forward, Bajaj Auto hopes that this four wheeler will replace the autorickshaws as a safer and more comfortable mode of transport, while being more fuel efficient and sharing the same compact footprint that has made the autorickshaw a transport option of choice in crowded cities. The Bajaj RE60 will be capable of seating 3 passengers plus a driver. It comes with a steering system with conventional positioning of the accelerator-clutch-brake and features a rear wheel drive layout. The gearshift is a four speed unit mounted onto the dashboard for easy and effective access.

Bajaj RE60 Four Wheeler at the 2012 Indian Auto Expo

The engine of the RE60 is a 200cc, four valve, liquid cooled unit. Bajaj’s famed DTSi twin spark plug technology makes it to this engine, which generates about 16 to 20 Bhp of peak power. The biggest thing going for the RE60 is the stunning claimed fuel economy of 35 Kmpl, which is almost 40% higher than a comparable auto rickshaw. CO2 emissions of the petrol variant are quite low with a minimal 60 grams of CO2 emitted by the RE60 every passing kilometer. The RE60 will also have a CNG powered version on offer along with the petrol variant.

Bajaj RE60 Four Wheeler at the 2012 Indian Auto Expo

Finally, the sucker punch delivered by the RE60 will be the pricing, which is anticipated to be around the 1 Lakh rupee mark. As a comparison, an Bajaj Autorickshaw costs about INR 1.8 Lakhs on road. This, if not anything else should be a convincing reason for folks to convert to the RE60 from the autorickshaw. A while ago, when Tata Motors launched the Magic Iris passenger van, we were wondering what would happen to Bajaj and its autorickshaw. With the RE60, Bajaj Auto has just answered that question and has done so quite convincingly. The Bajaj RE60 four wheeler will be launched in the middle of 2012.

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