Bajaj unveils new 3-wheeler with GDi tech

Bajaj Auto, one of India's leading manufacturer of two- and three-wheelers, on Saturday unveiled its new three-wheeler with the Gasoline Direct Injection (GDi) technology developed by the company in-house.

The technology will reduce carbon emissions, while offering more power and greater fuel economy, RC Maheshwari, head of commercial vehicles for Bajaj Auto, said while addressing a media conference.

The direct injection of the fuel as a fine mist, controlled by an electronic control unit (ECU), avoids escape of unburnt fuel into exhaust and drastically reduces emission, Maheshwari explained. He claimed that the emission per kilometer of autorickshaws fitted with the GDi engine is 25 per cent lower in hydrocarbons and nitrous oxides and 50 per cent lower in terms of carbon monoxide, with no visible smoke.

"As the availability of alternative fuels such as CNG or LNG is limited, a need was felt to develop a new engine that will run on gasoline and meet the strictest emission standards while offering improved performance on power and economy," he said.

Maheshwari said the vehicles will be manufactured at the company's Waluj plant near Aurangabad, Maharashtra, and the estimated production will be 300 per day.

The company has brought about 150 vehicles on the roads with the new engine and intends to start selling them from January. Managing Director Rajiv Bajaj said the new autos will be available across the country in a year, adding that Pune, Trivandrum and Mangalore will be the first three markets where the vehicles will be initially introduced.

There will be two models of the vehicle, one with basic features and another with added features such as electric start button, twin-head lamps or a dashboard for car-like feeling. The products will be priced between Rs 92,000 and Rs 1 lakh, Maheshwari said.

Bajaj said the company has been trying to impress upon the state governments about the need to lift restrictions on the number of autorickshaw permits.

"Presuming that the restrictions will be lifted and a need to replace the existing vehicles with the more fuel-efficient and eco-friendly rickshaws is driven home, the company expects to see a 20 per cent rise in the sales of its three-wheelers," Bajaj said.

He said the company will discontinue the production of its conventional rear engine rickshaws in about a year, completely replacing it with the new models.

Bajaj Auto currently makes 25,000 three-wheelers a month, about half of which are exported to markets like Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Africa and South America.