ET Bureau NEW DELHI: The government has issued a draft notification that seeks to classify the quadricycle as a commercial vehicle under the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, taking the four-wheeled vehicle that is bigger than an auto-rickshaw but smaller than a compact car closer to Indian roads.
The draft notification allows use of quadricycles for transporting passengers as well as goods on non-highways. It says the vehicle must have a fully-enclosed body with a steering wheel, and that an empty quadricycle must not weigh more than 450 kg if used for transporting passengers and 550 kg if it’s is made for carrying cargo.
“The new category has been notified and we are inviting suggestions from the public on quadricycle,” said a senior officer with the road transport ministry. “A period of 30 days has been kept for submitting suggestions or objections to the draft notification, which will be followed by the final order.”
According to the notification, a passenger quadricycle will have the maximum seating capacity for three passengers and a driver, while the goods variant will be allowed to carry only one passenger along with the driver. The notification also has a negative list of materials such as rexin, cloth and plastic that cannot be used to cover the sides or the top of a quadricycle. It stipulates the maximum length of the passenger variant at 3 metre, effectively disqualifying all compact cars from being used as quadricycles. Tata Nano, the smallest car in India, is 3.2 metre in length.
For a goods quadricycle, the maximum length has been set at 3.7 metre. The overall width of these vehicles must not exceed 1.5 metre, according to the notification. The government has not notified any active or passive safety features for quadricycles that are applicable on other four-wheelers in the country. Quadricycles, however, will comply with the emission norms stipulated for auto rickshaws, which are less stringent than norms such as Bharat Stage III and IV that are mandatory for passenger cars.
Even though the government is moving ahead with plans to introduce quadricycles on the Indian roads, many automakers in the country openly oppose the idea, arguing that quadricycles will take the Indian automotive industry back by many years.
Automakers that have opposed the idea of quadricycles include Tata Motors, TVS Motors, Maruti Suzuki and Mahindra & Mahindra. Piaggio of Italy, which makes and sells quadricycles in Europe, has said that other companies should be given adequate time to develop products suitable for the Indian market.
“There has to a level-playing field to facilitate potential manufacturers to develop and offer products for the local market. We will wait and watch for any decision on quadricycles for the future,” said Ravi Chopra, chairman at Piaggio India.
At present, Bajaj Motors is the only automobile maker in India that has developed a four-wheeled passenger carrier, the RE60, and plans to launch it by the end of this fiscal. The company has supported the move of introducing the new form of four-wheel vehicle that is more evolved than the traditional auto rickshaw and superior on passenger safety and fuel efficiency.
Officials in the transport ministry say the government policy on quadricycles will provide a natural upgrade to the dated three-wheeler auto rickshaws and will serve as an evolved form of transport with improved stability and modern features needed for intracity transport.
The draft notification allows use of quadricycles for transporting passengers as well as goods on non-highways. It says the vehicle must have a fully-enclosed body with a steering wheel, and that an empty quadricycle must not weigh more than 450 kg if used for transporting passengers and 550 kg if it’s is made for carrying cargo.
“The new category has been notified and we are inviting suggestions from the public on quadricycle,” said a senior officer with the road transport ministry. “A period of 30 days has been kept for submitting suggestions or objections to the draft notification, which will be followed by the final order.”
According to the notification, a passenger quadricycle will have the maximum seating capacity for three passengers and a driver, while the goods variant will be allowed to carry only one passenger along with the driver. The notification also has a negative list of materials such as rexin, cloth and plastic that cannot be used to cover the sides or the top of a quadricycle. It stipulates the maximum length of the passenger variant at 3 metre, effectively disqualifying all compact cars from being used as quadricycles. Tata Nano, the smallest car in India, is 3.2 metre in length.
For a goods quadricycle, the maximum length has been set at 3.7 metre. The overall width of these vehicles must not exceed 1.5 metre, according to the notification. The government has not notified any active or passive safety features for quadricycles that are applicable on other four-wheelers in the country. Quadricycles, however, will comply with the emission norms stipulated for auto rickshaws, which are less stringent than norms such as Bharat Stage III and IV that are mandatory for passenger cars.
Even though the government is moving ahead with plans to introduce quadricycles on the Indian roads, many automakers in the country openly oppose the idea, arguing that quadricycles will take the Indian automotive industry back by many years.
Automakers that have opposed the idea of quadricycles include Tata Motors, TVS Motors, Maruti Suzuki and Mahindra & Mahindra. Piaggio of Italy, which makes and sells quadricycles in Europe, has said that other companies should be given adequate time to develop products suitable for the Indian market.
“There has to a level-playing field to facilitate potential manufacturers to develop and offer products for the local market. We will wait and watch for any decision on quadricycles for the future,” said Ravi Chopra, chairman at Piaggio India.
At present, Bajaj Motors is the only automobile maker in India that has developed a four-wheeled passenger carrier, the RE60, and plans to launch it by the end of this fiscal. The company has supported the move of introducing the new form of four-wheel vehicle that is more evolved than the traditional auto rickshaw and superior on passenger safety and fuel efficiency.
Officials in the transport ministry say the government policy on quadricycles will provide a natural upgrade to the dated three-wheeler auto rickshaws and will serve as an evolved form of transport with improved stability and modern features needed for intracity transport.
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