According to the latest details available, after the long pause, Bajaj Auto is going to introduce the BS6-compliant Qute in 2022, after completing development work by the end of the current calendar year. The Qute is a small four-wheeled vehicle in the company's lineup and is presently available with petrol and CNG engines. As the Indian automobile market is becoming the hub for electric vehicles, this Pune-based company also intends to plan more EVs in the coming years.
Before the commencement of BS6 norms in 2020, Bajaj Auto released the Qute only in a few areas, including Kerala, Gujarat and Maharashtra. To serve the Bengaluru area, the firm partnered with app-based ride-sharing provider Uber. This is India's first quadricycle, a new vehicle category established by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. The four-seater vehicle is permitted to register as a commercial vehicle (taxi) only.
Considering the virus outbreak lockdown last year and the consequent uncertainty of demand for the ride-sharing idea, the brand discontinued wholesale sales of the Qute in India. Rakesh Sharma, executive director, Bajaj Auto informed that BS6 standards were specified after the introduction of the current-gen model. However, the process of developing all variants according to the BS-VI norms will be completed by the end of the third quarter of the year 2022.
In addition to the electric scooter Chetak, the company is working on the electric Qute as well. It is under the brand’s plan of launching three-wheeler electric vehicles in the Indian market. Mr Sharma also told that ride-sharing is a good platform to bring Qute near to the masses. Hence, after the relaxation from the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, the company will resume the services in Bengaluru under the Bajaj-Uber partnership and planning to start the same in metro cities like Hyderabad as well.