Bajaj Auto will launch the RE60 4-wheeler by March 2013. The Indian automaker is clear about the RE60 and is positioning it as a 4-wheeler and not a car. The company believes that the Bajaj RE60 is the answer for intra-city urban transportation. Thus the RE60 is targeted to 3-wheeler customers and the vehicle is not a Tata Nano rival. The RE60 was widely anticipated to be Renault-Nissan’s ultra low cost car but these companies haven’t shown any interest in the RE60 after seeing the vehicle.
“The commercial production of RE60 will begin by the end of this fiscal and the launch will also happen at the same time,” S Ravikumar, Senior Vice-President (Business Development), Bajaj Auto, said.”We have shown the product to them. However, we have not received any reply from them yet,” he added.
Bajaj Auto has taken almost 4 years to develop the RE60. The company had first showcased a prototype at the 2008 Auto Expo. The RE60 is powered by a rear-mounted 200cc, 4-valve, water-cooled petrol engine which uses twin-spark technology and produces 20 BHP of power output. It has a top speed of 70 km/h and Bajaj claims a mileage of 35 km/l. The RE60 will be available in two variants, one for private owners and one for commercial operations. Bajaj Auto will almost certainly leverage its overseas presence to export the RE60 to neighboring countries to boost volumes.
