What is Bajaj Car?
Bajaj Auto Limited is an Indian multinational automotive manufacturing company based in Pune. It manufactures motorcycles, scooters and auto rickshaws. Bajaj Auto is a part of the Bajaj Group. It was founded by Jamnalal Bajaj in Rajasthan in the 1940s. The company has plants in Chakan, Waluj and Pantnagar.
Bajaj Car Prices In South Africa
It may have four wheels and seat four people, but the Qute is not legally classified as a car – in fact, it is a compact quadricycle, aimed at intra-city transportation, or “last mile transportation”.
It was first unveiled by Bajaj Auto at the 2012 Auto Expo in Delhi. Bajaj Auto is best known for scooters and three-wheel auto-rickshaws, but in 2010, Bajaj announced that they would be collaborating with Nissan and Renault to develop a low-cost car, and as a result the Qute was born. According to Bajaj, the Qute is the first Indian-built quadricycle to meet the European quadricycle norms and get the European Whole Vehicle Type Approval certification, awarded by RDW Netherlands.
How big is it, and how fast does it go?
The rear-engined Bajaj Qute is 2752 mm long, 1312 mm wide, and 1652mm tall. It tips the scales at a lithe 400 kg.
It seats one driver and three passengers, and offers 20 kilograms’ worth of storage inside the bonnet. If fitted with roof rails and a carrier, it can carry an additional 40 kg. Altogether, interior storage is rated at 191 litres, if you include the glove box, door binnacles, and additional space under the seats.
Its top speed is a mere 70km per hour, so it will only be suitable for the city. It is powered by a four-stroke, single-cylinder engine of only 217 cc, and its output is up to 9.7 kW and 18.9 Nm of torque for the petrol models. Power is sent to the wheels via a five-speed gearbox. Once there are four people on board and it’s fully loaded with luggage, whether it will still reach 70 km/h is quite a different story, however. As for safety, Bajaj is confident that the Qute’s stringent testing counts for something:
“The Qute has been rigorously tested on multiple parameters, terrain and weather conditions in India. From the hot deserts of Rajasthan to the cold altitudes of the Himalayas, from rural roads to city traffic, Qute has been put through over 3.2 million km of testing. These tests check for structural durability, suspension, performance, handling, efficiency and all forms of abuse. Qute is made at a state-of-the-art assembly plant that uses the latest robotics & automation for precision manufacturing. The entire process is supervised and quality checked by expert engineers,” the company claims. Video footage of these tests can be seen on the Bajaj Global website.
While I don’t see myself driving my children to school in the Qute, I wouldn’t mind catching a quick lift from Cape Town’s V&A Waterfont to Greenpoint Stadium in one, though. Bajaj says the Qute has a high-strength, monocoque body and impact-resistant plastic closures and doors”, as well as a “reinforced rooftop.” Seatbelts are available for all occupants. Bajaj also added that the Qute is eligible to run on all South African roads, and is NRCS approved.
The upside to a vehicle this light and small, is fuel economy. Bajaj reckons you should be able to get 35 km per litre of fuel. That works out to an unbelievable 2,86 litres per 100 km.
How much does the Bajaj Qute cost?
Bajaj received an enormous amount of enquiries for the Qute after rumours were circulated that it costs only R4 500 once-off or R150 per month. This is not the case; Bajaj announced on Twitter that the offer price for the Qute is R65 000, after a discount of R10 000. This deal is valid until April 30th, according to the brand’s Facebook page. The company provides finance, but you’ll need to put down a deposit of around R1500 to R2000.
What can you buy for R65 000 in the used-car market?
The Baja Qute is certainly much affordable than a Suzuki S-Presso, Renault Kwid or Datsun Go!, but given its lowly power figures, personally I would rather opt for a more traditional car in the same price range.
We had a look in the R60 000 – R70 000 section on our website, and here are just a few examples of what we found:
A 2008 Hyundai Atos Prime for R63 000 with 94 000 km, a 2007 VW Polo Classic 1.4 Trendline with 92 000 km, a 2009 Toyota Yaris 1.3 Sedan T3 with 90 000 km, a 2016 Tata Vista 1.4 Ignis with 61 649 km, a 2015 Datsun Go 1.2 Lux with 73 000 km, a 2015 Tata Bolt Hatch 1.2T XT with 76 000 km, and a 2014 Chevrolet Spark 1.2 Pronto Panel Van with 73 000 km. Check out these deals here.
If you feel ill at ease about buying an older, higher-mileage car, it’s well worth putting money away to afford a comprehensive mechanical warranty if things should go pear-shaped.
As for the Baja Qute, it certainly has its uses, but proceed with care. If you want more information, visit the Bajaj Auto South Africa website and complete the contact form, here.