A report on India Today has provided some important details on production version of the Bajaj Lite/ULC, a passenger vehicle that will be unveiled before the Auto Expo. In media interviews, Bajaj officials have stated that their vehicle is not a car though the flexible platform allow it to be dressed as a car.
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]
