5 reasons why Bajaj made the RE60

Here are some of the questions Rajiv Bajaj answered in today morning’s unveiling

Keywords -

Light weight – 400kg
Fuel efficiency – 40kmpl in Bajaj’s internal tests
Small dimensions – Comparable to Mercedes Benz’s Smart brand – it takes a little more than the parking space of an auto rickshaw.

Safety -

The four-wheeler by nature of its design, is safer than a three-wheeler. It has seat belts at the front and rear, hard top and doors. The body is seven times more rigid than the three-wheeler.

Powertrain – Why no diesel?

It is powered by a 200cc, water-cooled, DTSi engine (twin spark technology of Bajaj) that delivers 15-20bhp with a top speed of 70kph. The real world mileage is expected to be upward of 35kmpl while the tail pipe emissions are half as an average A-Segment car. The RE60, like we suspected last week, is a Tata Magic Iris with a petrol engine. Rajiv Bajaj told IndianAutosBlog.com that his company manufactures light vehicles and diesel engines don’t go very well with light weight. Bajaj insisted that CNG, LPG and petrol were the fuel options the 400kg RE60 will be rolled out with.

Features -

The company did not allow reporters and guests to sit in the vehicle. The interiors are bare bones and scantily equipped with a cost-saving dash-mounted gear lever, digital instrument cluster, two glove boxes instead of Nano’s scoops and a fare meter on the passenger side. There is 44 liters of boot space behind the rear passenger and 7 liters under the hood. There could be two variants, one missing basic amenities like windows and low-cost interior pitched as a three-wheeler alternative and a slightly more upmarket variant with body colored fitments, dual tone interior positioned for personal transportation.

Rajiv Bajaj on the partnership with Renault-Nissan -

“With small or big modifications, we’re in a position to supply the same vehicle to Renault and Nissan if they so wish.”

He then added “we’ve kept all our options open. In terms of what their response is, I can tell you they have not seen the physical product because it was put together just in time for today’s launch. They told us that they would come to the Auto Expo to see the product in its flesh so to speak and then they would discuss with us the matter of the cooperation further. So things stand exactly where they stood, we proceeded with the development, we have our own vehicle standing, Renault-Nissan are welcome to come and have a look, what they will decide is something you must ask them.”

Price -

We expect Bajaj to price the RE60 between 1.5-1.75 lakh rupees.

Bottom Line -

Bajaj RE60 is not a car. Bajaj terms itself as an anti-car company. It has set about making the next generation three-wheeler even if that meant adding a fourth wheel!

Bajaj RE60 Comprehensive Image Slideshow

Head over to the Bajaj RE60 Flickr Page to view all the images manually.

What is the RE60?

A last mile transportation solution for people.

Dealership network – This will go through RE dealerships (commercial vehicle network). I hope this will motivate dealers to spruce up dealership.

Despite the success with the motorcycles, Bajaj has taken its eyes of the 3-wheeler business of which it is the largest auto market – half a million 3-wheeler sales this year.

Four year journey ends today with the launch of this four-wheeler.

This is a 4-wheeled vehicle – Pride and aspiration associated with a 4-wheeler present on this product.

100% new petrol engine – fuel injected, water cooled, 4 valves, twin spark technology – 60g/km of CO2 emissions – typically half what current small car emits. The engine is mounted at the rear.

We want to sell it as a mass volume price.

I’m happy to share that this vehicle returned 40kmpl in testing and on the road, users should experience 35kmpl at least.

Host of vehicle features – normally not associated with this segment – is present on the RE60 – We’re bringing features from segments above.

350 crore rupees saved because of space and tooling sharing at the Aurangabad factory. The same plant produces three-wheelers and production of RE60 will begin in the next few months.

A market like Sri Lanka uses the Bajaj Autorickshaw as a form of personal transport. Hence this vehicle may be out on the export market before it reaches local dealerships.

There are 5 million Bajaj three-wheelers on the market, and the RE60 is built to serve as a replacement with better features, safety and many more credentials.

Bajaj RE60 – Fast facts

• Light weight monocoque metal polymer hybrid structure
• Closed-loop fuel injection system
• Powered by a 200cc water cooled, 4 valve, DTSI technology will make around 20hp – Can ply in Europe as a quadircycle
• Petrol, CNG and LPG are the only fuel options – Diesel engine not under consideration as this is a light weight vehicle
• 44 liter rear boot storage, 7 liter under the hood and 400 liters when the seats are folded down
• Max speed 70kph
• Turning circle radius – 3.5m
• Length – 2,752mm
• Width – 1,312mm
• Height – 1,650mm
• Seating Capacity – 2+2 or 1+3
• Kerb weight 400kg

Bajaj RE60 Image Gallery

Our pals BSMotoring have presented us a small pic which they claim is the actual model. The model presented in the picture sort of looks like the Reva (a.k.a G-Wiz). The RE60 is may look like a car but Bajaj Auto claims that it isn’t one. The company has made it quite clear that it doesn’t intend to build another Tata Nano. According to Bajaj, the RE60 will be perfect, low-cost transportation solution; a three wheeler with one extra wheel for stability. We have no idea how to make sense of it all. Seeing the vehicle on the 3rd is the only way to understand Bajaj’s proposition.

Anyways, coming back to the RE60. The ‘RE’ stands for ‘Rear Engined’ and the 60 stands for the 60 g/km of CO2 that the car produces. The RE60 will be powered by a 700-800 cc engine with priority given to fuel economy. The estimated figure is around 30 kmpl.

The RE60 will be a significant step forward for Bajaj Auto as the platform will spawn many variations in the future. Even the next generation Bajaj RE Auto Rickshaw three-wheeler could be based on the flexible ULC platform.

Although the project was initially conceived in partnership with Renault-Nissan, the car does not feature in Renault’s five product plan. So whether this car will carry a Renault/Nissan badge will only depend on they how perceive the final product.

[Source: BSMotoring.com]

Development of the four-wheeler is complete. It is powered by a 800cc petrol engine (Nano is powered by a 624cc two-cylinder mill) capable of returning close to 30kpl. The report states it will be more spacious than the Nano.

The Tata Magic Iris and the Piaggio NT3 concept are good examples of low-cost four-wheelers

The ULC is similar to the Volkswagen Up! – its a platform to spawn a family of vehicles. The ULC’s foundation can be used to roll out a set of commercial vehicles. Even the next generation Bajaj RE Auto Rickshaw three-wheeler could be bodied on the flexible ULC platform.

Renault and Nissan have shied away from questions on the future of the Bajaj-Nissan-Renault partnership. The ULC does not feature on the Renault’s list of five cars by late 2012. The initial agreement was that Bajaj will handle the design and manufacturing, and Renault/Nissan would market it.

[Source - IndiaToday.InToday.in]

Bajaj said the low-cost four-wheeler will be manufactured at the Aurangabad facility, the site once used to roll out geared scooters. The project cost for this 4-wheeler will be approximately Rs 200 crore including the plant. It has to be noted that the project cost is one-tenth what Bajaj would spend on a new vehicle project. The production lines will be designed to produce three-wheelers alongside the four-wheeler. Both these vehicles are likely to be stationed on the ULC platform.

In an interview with NDTV Profit recently, Bajaj said the ULC could be dressed up as a car. But Bajaj has no intentions of producing a car and neither will it get into the goods carrier space with the four-wheeler. It will be designed to move people over short distances. One can imagine a modern Autorickshaw mounted on four wheels at the corners with a design flavor of the Tata Magic Iris to form an imagery.

Back in December 2009, Rajiv Bajaj told IndianAutosBlog.com that his company was joining hands with Portland-based motorcycle manufacturer MotoCzysz on a “futuristic three-wheeler” project. It is yet to be understood if the next generation three wheeler and the ULC project share a relationship. MotoCzysz has expertise in battery-driven vehicles.

At the Renault key handover ceremony in Delhi last month, a top Renault official said that they had to see the ULC before taking a decision to buy it or sell it in the market. Renault is yet to see the ULC prototype. Renault added that the ball was in Bajaj’s court and they wouldn’t see the car unless an invite was served to them.

If things go well, we will see two version of the ULC – one wearing the Bajaj logo serving as public transport while the other serving as a personal transport with creature comforts sporting the Renault diamond.

Renault officials could inspect the ULC by year-end and take a call. If they feel the need for further improvements, the launch date could be pushed forward.

Based on the inputs from company officials, our in-house image envisioner Shoeb R Kalania presented a rendering of the Bajaj ULC passenger model. He used design idioms and the thought process behind the Chetak scooter, the Renault Twizy and the Bajaj RE 3-wheeler.

Fast fact – Shoeb’ rendering has raised a few eyebrows in Renault India’ camp.

Source – MyDigitalFC.com

I have driven the prototype of this vehicle. Ours is a four-wheeler, not a car; it’s too soon for any details on price and volumes.

Rajiv Bajaj, MD of Bajaj Auto tells India Knowledge@Wharton in an interview last week. Rajiv Bajaj has stated before that his company’ ULC project will be a four wheeler which could be used to build commercial vehicles if in case Renault doesn’t find the prototype satisfactory. The engine is expected to deliver 30kmpl.

Source – knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu

Shoeb R Kalania wasted no time in getting back to his computer and did up a 4-wheeler bringing together the DNA of an autorickshaw, small city car and a scooter. Bajaj’s first attempt at a mass-market product was the Chetak which moved millions from A-B, so the knowledge gathered from that historic product will be of much use on the 4-wheeler.

We assume plenty of simple components will be carried over from the 3-wheeler division. We expect the ULC to have the dimensions and layout of a Tata Nano with a tiny turning radius.

Bajaj begins production of the ULC next year in Aurangabad where it previously manufactured scooters. The same facility will also roll out three wheelers. Both personal and commercial applications of the platform will be explored.