A decade after it generated some controversy with carmakers ranged against three-wheelers manufacturers, the government has approved a new segment in the automotive space called the Quadricycle. The basic concept is a four-wheel vehicle with a small engine to be positioned between a three-wheeler and a passenger car which does not meet the same safety and emission norms of regular passenger cars and have their own set of regulations.
The Ministry of Roads has formed a technical committee to examine all aspects including safety norms which would then enable the government to announce a policy. So far, only Europe has a quadricycle segment with the Renault Twizy being one example.
One clear beneficiary of such a policy in India would be Bajaj Auto’s RE60 four-wheeler unveiled at the Auto Expo in January. However, this segment will certainly also interest Piaggio, Mahindra & Mahindra as well as TVS, which was an early proponent, given its potential to be a mass segment.
Interestingly, Tata Motors initially conceived the Nano as a quadricycle but this was met with huge resistance within the industry which stonewalled the formation of a quadricycle category. This led Tata to develop the Nano as a full car. Now, it seems that companies like Bajaj Auto are asking for the same concessions.