[vikrantj]

My take on this is that I welcome this move from Bajaj. I am merely saying this from a safety point of view. A four wheeler is anyday more stable and safer than a three wheeler. Forget about creature comfort inside. An auto with 3 normal size people inside is a real tight fit. Here atleast two people in back seat and two in front is a comfort fit.
Second biggest safety issue I see solved is overloading. I regularly see normal auto with 4 people in back seat and one person next to the driver. This thing eliminates overloading since this has doors. Digital meters come pre-fixed so no haggling over the rate etc.

All and all this should be the one plying passengers rather than three wheeled tinpots on road.

[SunilM]

Originally Posted by rajchetan

Its very clear that this is a Auto on 4 wheels. Hence lets not compare it to the NANO.

+1. At second thought, though it can't hold a candle to the Nano, it is not such a bad option in its own segment.

This is what the three major vehicles in this segment look like - and the Magic Iris, IMO, looks better than the other two. Mahindra Gio, the worst!

[ObsessedByFIAT]

Headlamps are so very similar to the Ford Figo .. :( Why this Kolaveri Bajaj????

[niv26]

Have you seen interiors and gear position? I better not to comment.

[DevilsCry]

Some minor things I notice from the pics-
1. Brake and throttle pedals are placed way too close while clutch pedal is so far away.
2. Right one looks like fare-meter like in autos though left one also looks like some kind of meter.
3. Looks like a choke to me from era of carburetors. Do autos today still use carburetors?
4. I can't find controls to open doors and windows except for that thing.
5. Using gear in traffic is going to be tiring due to repeated lifting of hands.
6. This is the only vehicle I have seen with a glovebox on both sides.

[Ashley2]

As largely speculated here this cannot replace the rickshaw unless otherwise there exists a better revenue source for the owner - driver.
If someone asks pay me Rs.120 for this auto/car instead of Rs.100 for regular auto who will go with it.
And most importantly its again a petrol powered engine.
Until otherwise the price is matched with regular auto, this car will not be used in masses for commercial purposes.

[nawalsingal]

"We are Apple kind of company. We believe in making niche products." Rajiv Bajaj, MD, Bajaj Auto at the launch of RE60. What if Stve Jobs was alive to hear this? . If Steve Jobs designed his products on such lines, his logo would have been "Rotten Apple" & not the half eaten one. This statement made my day.

[kiku007]

Pointless attempt. They could have just got the reva's body under license instead of this so called R&D.
IIRC Bajaj came out with something like this contraption just before the nano was launched to hog some limelight.

[Carb]

Oh good lord. This thing looks ghastly!


And a turning radius of 3.5m?? :/

Well as far as we know, the dear old auto rick can rotate about its rear axle

I guess Bajaj wants to show they are venturing into everything.

First they launch different bikes with the same engines borrowed from their own models, just tuned differently.

Now, they come up with this. Oh, we could add doors too and 2 more wheels... WOW


PS: What was the point?? :(

Mod team note: Please use proper Punctuation and avoid typing like this.... Thanks.

[teamveevee]

“After seeing the RE60, you realize what a phenomenal achievement the Nano is,” said Mr. Sorabjee, editor of Autocar India, an automotive magazine. The RE60 “is nowhere near a full-sized car which the Nano is. Clearly it’s just not got the sophistication of the Nano.”
But executives from Bajaj suggested that was essentially the point — to make the best vehicle possible and not stretch to produce an engineering marvel that might not be suited to real-life conditions.
“At Bajaj Auto, we believe the people of this planet deserve much better, much faster,” Rajiv Bajaj, the managing director of the company said in a statement, in what appeared to be a not-so-subtle dig at the Nano. “We, therefore, decided to focus our efforts on developing vehicles powered by engines using available natural resources and infrastructure.”

Source: Introducing Bajaj Auto's Brand New...Car? - NYTimes.com

[Scorcher]

Doesn't anyone spot something fishy with the gear lever?

Looks like its gonna move up and down only. Like an automatic selector. I don't think this would be an AT.

Sorry if this has been mentioned before and I missed that part.

[srishiva]

I think its got a 12V charger not a choke (its a pulsar engine).
Would like to think of this as a great upwards choice for a auto driver.
They should have made the odometer reading come out in large fonts so that the passenger knows exactly how much the auto has travelled.

Wheel base of Iris is extremely short and the height can make it topple compared to this auto.

[Pardus]

The highlighted portion looks like a Hand Brake from the existing Auto. Couldn't Bajaj made a better looking one ?

[RajaTaurus]

This will never ever replace Autos on the roads for the simple fact that it has one more wheel. The turning ability is what makes the 3 wheeler special in cities for those who ride in it and a menace to the others. An Auto owner will never replace it with 4 wheeler and lose the ability to wind around every single thing on the road.
Like Carb said, an Auto can practically rotate on one of its rear wheel.!

[amateurpro]

To be fair enough, RE60 as a concept has some positives as listed below.

1) Bottoms up approach : Good that they have tried developing a micro mini car from a 2 wheeler or 3 wheeler platform. Imagine trying to convert a Mini Cooper into a 1 lakh car!!!

2) Fuel economy : 35 kmpl for a 4 wheeler (even if it drops a bit in real life conditions) is awesome. This is what some good old 2 stroke two-wheelers used to give.

3) 200 CC engine : Unbelievably low for a car but would serve the purpose if the top speed is 70 kmph. How often do we get to cross 60 kmph in city with our existing cars?

4) Looks : RE60 styling looks right and bold for a micro mini car. It is unapologetic about the low price offer and that gives it a bit of attitude / uniqueness. Some would love it while others may not. I love it.

5) All 4's : Has 4 wheels, 4 passenger doors and 4 seats. :-)

It would sell well if the following two concerns are handled well by Bajaj.

1) A/C - Even with the wildest wishful thinking, expecting this car to have an A/C is too much. But if they can fit it in, nothing like it.

2) Noise and vibration : Hope it is more car-like and less auto-like here.

As a 4 wheel auto, RE60 holds very little promise as most auto drivers would love their 3 wheel autos for the turning radius and loading capacity as most BHPians have already pointed out.