Bajaj RE60 spotted testing in Pune

One of the very first posts of the year 2012 was about the Bajaj RE60, a low-cost "four-wheeler" unveiled by the Pune-based manufacturer, just ahead of the Auto Expo. Intended to be an evolution of its popular three-wheeled auto-rickshaw, Bajaj was very particular that the RE60 isn't a 'car', but a 'four-wheeler'. That was pretty smart thinking, as registering the RE60 as a car would mean that stricter safety and emission norms should be met with, which may not be possible for a vehicle of its size and technology.

In a welcome move, Indian Government recently approved a new category of vehicles, that could be called 'quadricycles', to plug the big gap between three-wheelers and cars. Now, that's a slot where the Bajaj RE60 would fit in perfectly.

If you remember right, Anything On Wheels was amongst the first in bringing out spy-shots of the vehicle that looked very much like the RE60. But the big difference was the absence of passenger doors on the test vehicle, unlike the one unveiled at the Auto Expo. Now, thanks to our avid fan Guru, we are at it again. These shots were taken late last night at a suburb in Pune.

Beneath the strip camouflage pattern, it is clearly evident that this is the top-end variant of RE60 that is being tested here, the presence of passenger doors and snazzy-looking wheels being dead give-aways. While Bajaj is looking to conquer commercial segment with the base variant, this top-end variant is also being targeted at private buyers. Looking at it again and again, we can't stop comparing the RE60 to the Kia Soul, a hatchback that's known for its quirky yet appealing design. While the Soul looks attractive, the RE60 looks crude. It's tall, it's narrow and it's never going to replace your car, ever. It can, at best, be an intra-city run-about, one in which you just need not worry about squeezing in and out of traffic and parking spaces. Expected to be powered by a rear-mounted engine producing 20 bhp of power, the RE60 is claimed to have a top speed of around 70 km/h and a real world fuel efficiency of 35 km/l. To reduce running costs further, LPG and CNG fuel options are expected to be available as well. The advantage of having four wheels vis-a-vis three in terms of stability can already be noticed in in one of these shots, as the vehicle is seen doing moderate speeds comfortably.

As we already stated, if you look at it as a car, the RE60 doesn't make the cut. View it as an evolution of an auto-rickshaw or a quadricycle and you would start appreciating its benefits. We would be happy if the RE60 ends up replacing the manic auto-rickshaws on our cities. The RE60 is trying to open up a new segment that could possibly see many manufacturers getting into it, over the course of time.

For those who would like to know a bit of history behind, the RE60 is actually a fall-out of a failed Indo-German-Japanese joint-venture in which Bajaj was assigned the task of developing a frugal small car to compete with the Tata Nano, while Renault and Nissan would help in marketing and selling the car. What started off with a pretty decent prototype at the 2008 Auto Expo changed track all of a sudden and ended up with this at the 2012 Auto Expo. Renault and Nissan obviously weren't enthusiastic about this change of direction by Bajaj and decided to part ways.