[nijelj]

Anyone following the latest war of words between Karl slym and Rahul Bajaj? Karl tweeted that the industry is going backwards in safety standards if the quadricycles are allowed in India. Bajaj replies with "Who makes 700kg quadricycles which cannot be exported to Europe? . Tata and who can make 450kg quadricycles which can be exported to Europe? Bajaj! " .

IMHO, Bajaj is trying to start the RE60= Nano definition using the unclear indian mindsets on what a quadricycle actually is. A wiki search told me that in Europe, quadricycles (<400kg) should not cross a speed of 45kmph.Couldn't find the speed limit for >400kg,but its power shouldn't be more than 20hp.

It is interesting to note that 10 years ago, when quadricycles were being proposed in India,Bajaj along with Maruti were the most opposed to it.They were worried that it would be unsafe.So das-saal-baad , has Bajaj found some low cost force-field tech which will save the quad-syk-rider now? :-) .The final verdict will come from the recommedations of the Tyagi Committee's report.

Hope Tata doesn't give a reply, since it will confirm that they are taking RE60=Nano seriously (instead of laughing it off).Instead they should slap on regular doors to the IRIS and start selling those to compete with the RE60.

What say BHP-ians?


Note from Support.
Please do not use non English words like "das-saal-baad".
Thanks,
Support Team

[ashphil]

Thank you fellow Bhpians. Your postings on the quadricycle are very informative. In fact it makes one wonder if India is really heading in the right direction by considering this form of transport.
A vehicle which does not require crash testing should not be allowed on our roads. Dont we have enough to cope with without adding to our road,transport and traffic based woes?
Regards,
Ashok

[MHG]

Originally Posted by ashphil

Thank you fellow Bhpians. Your postings on the quadricycle are very informative. In fact it makes one wonder if India is really heading in the right direction by considering this form of transport.
A vehicle which does not require crash testing should not be allowed on our roads. Dont we have enough to cope with without adding to our road,transport and traffic based woes?
Regards,
Ashok

I disagree. A Quadricycle is safer than an Autorickshaw and a bike by a large measure.

Safety laws could prohibit quadricycles (along with autorickshaws and bikes) from using highways or similar roads. But beyond that I see no reason why NOT allow sale of a quadricycle class vehicle in India.

[vikrantj]

Originally Posted by MHG

I disagree. A Quadricycle is safer than an Autorickshaw and a bike by a large measure.

Safety laws could prohibit quadricycles (along with autorickshaws and bikes) from using highways or similar roads. But beyond that I see no reason why NOT allow sale of a quadricycle class vehicle in India.

I am sorry but is there any study done to prove they are indeed safer. Secondly what pollution norms should apply to this category is it 4wheeler or 2wheeler.

[ambadan]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

I am wondering whether this is a precursor to outlawing or phasing out the three wheelers.

I feel that should be of higher priority. Three wheelers are more accident prone than 4 wheelers.

[DReddy]

Originally Posted by nijelj

Anyone following the latest war of words between Karl slym and Rahul Bajaj? Karl tweeted that the industry is going backwards in safety standards if the quadricycles are allowed in India. Bajaj replies with "Who makes 700kg quadricycles which cannot be exported to Europe? . Tata and who can make 450kg quadricycles which can be exported to Europe? Bajaj! " .

IMHO, Bajaj is trying to start the RE60= Nano definition using the unclear indian mindsets on what a quadricycle actually is. A wiki search told me that in Europe, quadricycles (<400kg) should not cross a speed of 45kmph.Couldn't find the speed limit for >400kg,but its power shouldn't be more than 20hp.

It is interesting to note that 10 years ago, when quadricycles were being proposed in India,Bajaj along with Maruti were the most opposed to it.They were worried that it would be unsafe.So das-saal-baad , has Bajaj found some low cost force-field tech which will save the quad-syk-rider now? :-) .The final verdict will come from the recommedations of the Tyagi Committee's report.

Hope Tata doesn't give a reply, since it will confirm that they are taking RE60=Nano seriously (instead of laughing it off).Instead they should slap on regular doors to the IRIS and start selling those to compete with the RE60.

What say BHP-ians?

Absolutely agree with you. TATA deserves to ignore it as the NANO is a proper car which has its own legendary story(the NANO story is a must read). RE60 should not be compared with a car(NANO) in Mr. Rajiv Bajaj's own words.

Recently an American auto blogging site wrote about the TATA Iris and its twin from Mahindra. It attracted a personal comment from none other than Mr. Anand mahindra, he got invited to come and drive these vehicles.

Even the international community is recognizing the ingenuity of our engineers in bringing out tailor made products. What I could never get my head around is that, why are our own manufacturers trying to get at each other's throats to show that their product is the best.

Having just joined the industry, I have seen this first hand. Unless this attitude changes and we realise that there is space for everyone to co-exist, foreign MNC s are bound to take advantage of this.

Such engineering masterpieces are the need of the hour and instead of bickering about, we could pool in our resources to improve our quality standards along with the frugality of our products. This would truly make us compete at the international level.

Slightly OT here but, how many of our own discussions in team-bhp revolve around panel gaps and shut lines. Anyone who has had 100 years of experience in building vehicles would be able to do it perfectly. But imagine very young home grown organizations with our own young talent coming up with products which draw international attention. All we can think of is how pathetic these products are compared to some german/italian made machine. They deserve some attention from the enthusiast community and the manufacturers should learn to co-exist.

[Maky]

Originally Posted by vikrantj

I am sorry but is there any study done to prove they are indeed safer. Secondly what pollution norms should apply to this category is it 4wheeler or 2wheeler.

I'm unsure if it would be safer than a auto rickshaw, apart from the 3 Wheel Vs. 4 Wheel stability point, but I would like to think that there is no study required to realise that a quad should be safer for the passenger as the body is not exposed and cannot be flung out in case of an accident as is the case with 2 wheelers, No : o ?

So, I have a question. Can I now Import the Renault Twizy legally now? This vehicle really fascinates me : )

[volkman10]

Maruti supports the plan but only as a transport vehicle!

Although Maruti has supported the proposal backed by a group of largely threewheeler manufacturers, its backing has come with the rider that quadricycles should only be allowed as transport vehicles, which can be used only for public transport within a town or a city. In other words, Maruti is trying to ensure that its business is not hurt due to the new set of vehicles.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/...w/19961725.cms

[arjun18]

Nobody's outlawing three wheelers in any case, so how does this make the transit safer? Drivers will obviously buy the much cheaper 3-wheel autos.

[volkman10]

Government today allowed a new type of four-wheelers called 'quadricycles' to ply on roads as public transport within city limits.

As an identification symbol "Q" will be prominently displayed on the body of these quadricyles.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/...w/20208391.cms

[sgiitk]

Also, they have approved the EU norms, no gradual tapering in!

[Gansan]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Government today allowed a new type of four-wheelers called 'quadricycles' to ply on roads as public transport within city limits.

I don't think the "no highway use" implication can be enforced. Does that mean people in rural areas can't buy them?

We see share autos routinely on the ECR all the way to Pondicherry!

[nijelj]

Originally Posted by Gansan

I don't think the "no highway use" implication can be enforced

I agree! Maybe for the first few months,it will be a target for the highway traffic police.Then it should be business as usual.

I feel Tata was worried that anyone could now own a quadricycle.Maruti stayed on the middle ground by saying it should be a commercial vehicle only.And now government has ratified the middle ground.

Question is,would anyone buy a RE60? Even auto drivers? Nothing can beat the dexterity of a three wheeled auto in a crowded city.And for the outskirts,an Iris does the job.So,considering you'll need yellow number plates,(and a prominent Q) do you think anyone will be buying this vehicle?

[sukhoi30]

Hmmm.. looks like the govt. trying to resurrect the fortunes of Bajaj which have lost considerable ground lately due to intense competition from Honda and TVS.
The quadcycle is an autorickshaw with four wheels. So, I don't expect any change in their driving style. Initially it will look very nice on the roads but as time passes it will also become an eyesore.
BTW, since now it is a four wheeler, will it be allowed on expressways?

[rajeev k]

Any idea why the RE60 is not in the league of the Tata Magic iris?
The differences noticeable are in engine capacity, fuel used apart from the latter being a full forward control one.