Government today allowed a new type of four-wheelers called 'quadricycles' to ply on roads as public transport within city limits.
Quadricycles are safer than the 3-wheeler as they have fully enclosed body structure with hard top and doors. But their maximum speed limit and engine capacity are lower than a that of a small car.
A meeting under the chairmanship of Road Secretary Vijay Chhibber was held today to discuss the issue of amendment to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules (CMVR) to include quadricycle as an additional category vehicle to be manufactured and registered in India.
"A separate category has been proposed for notification to include quadricyle with specifications adopting present norms notified in the 3-wheeler category of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules (CMVR) or the European Union quadricycle, whichever is more stringent," a Road Ministry statement said.
The development is seen as good news for auto major Bajaj Auto which last year had unveiled the quadricycle codenamed RE60, which is powered by a 200 cc petrol engine with a top speed of 70 kilometre per hour (kmph) and with a mileage of 35 kilometre per litre (kmpl).
As an identification symbol "Q" will be prominently displayed on the body of these quadricyles.
Quadricycles will be recommended for registration under commercial transport category for intra-city movement within the municipal limits only and these vehicles will be permitted to be driven only by licensed driver after due registration.
"It is expected to be a substantial upgrade over the 3-wheeler auto which currently provides for the last mile connectivity in most urban areas of the country," the statement said.
The meeting was attended by representatives of Ministry of Heavy Industry, ARAI (Automotive Research Association of India) and iCAT (International Centre for Automotive Technology).
