27 May,2019 10:29 AM IST | | Faizan Khan
Four wheeler Qute which is expected to be a successor to the auto-rickshaws is now out with its wheel on the street. A Vasai resident and an auto driver since the past 27 years, Sanjay Bhupendra Bhai Bhatt is the first person to own this auto with an RTO clearance in Maharashtra. The vehicle is now running on the streets of Vasai and receiving some great feedback from the commuters.
Bhatt had booked the four-wheeler Qute 216-cc launched by Bajaj auto this year in April.
Watch the video below.
"I quickly booked the vehicle after launching of Qute this year, on May 17. I got the vehicle delivered to my residence and from May 23, I started making trips in the area and received positive feedback from passengers, " said Bhupendra Bhai.
"This is safer than the auto rickshaws and it has various features in tune with customer comfort. It can carry three passengers (two at back and one next to the driver). The vehicle has ventilation from the front and back and passengers can carry luggage around 20 kg. One of the finest features is passengers can travel during them monsoons without the fear of getting drenched. The price difference between an autorickshaw and Qute is around Rs 90,000. The market price for Qute is around Rs 3.50 lakh whereas an autorickshaw cost around Rs 2.50 lakh," Bhupendra added.
The four-wheeler, Qute, has a purpose-built vehicle for intra-city travel pegged as the smallest four-wheeler in India. Maharashtra is the sixth state to get the Qute after Kerela, Gujarat, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh Sandra Rajasthan.
The Qute is 2,752 mm long, 1,312 mm wide and 1,652 mm tall. It has a wheelbase of 1,925 mm and can accommodate up to four passengers, including the driver. It has a kerb weight of 451 kg and can reportedly reach a top speed of 70 kmph. It also has features such as a USB charging port, music player, lockable storage compartments, adjustable driver's seat and a 60:40 split rear bench. The Qute has a turning radius of 3.5m.
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The Qute is far better than the three-wheeled auto-rickshaw in all aspects, including safety, comfort, reliability, and design. In the market, it is expected to be a successor to the auto rickshaw. The Indian government had classified the Qute as a quadricycle in 2013.
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