Bajaj Qute’s one star EuroNCAP rating: an analysis

Bajaj came up with the RE60 quadracycle back in 2014 to pitch to the Indian transport authorities as a means of public transport in the form of cabs. But according to the Indian authorities the pitch was shelved due to serious safety concerns. Then in 2015, the Indian motorcycle maker announced the launch of the RE60 renamed the Qute to be an export vehicle only. The vehicle was scheduled to be shipped to countries like Indonesia, Russia, Peru and Turkey. But in the recent crash tests conducted by Belgium based Euro New Car Assessment Programme, the Qute received a one star rating. 

What’s the hue and cry about?

Bajaj in a statement claimed that their Qute was in fact safer than cars like the VW polo, Hyundai i10 and the Maruti Suzuki Swift which received a zero star rating in the EuroNCAP tests back in 2014. Fair point one would think but the real story is quite different. First of all the tests conducted were more than two years ago and VW has since then made dual front airbags and ABS standard across its cars, even in the base variants which wasn’t the case back then. Which essentially means that Bajaj is claiming a better rating than a car that ceases to exist. Thanks to the standard airbags and ABS the Polo now boasts of a four star rating. This statement not only angered VW but the testing agency as well. David Ward, Secretary General EuroNCAP Global stated that the safety claims by Bajaj on its Quadracycle are “exaggerated” and are filled with “safety deficiencies”. He also said that Bajaj’s claims were “misleading and wrong” and with good reason. 

The testing parameters for quadracycles and passenger cars are very different and there is no way that the two can be compared. The Euro NCAP quadricycle test uses a full frontal impact at 50 km/h whereas the passenger car tests use a 40% overlap impact at 64 km/h. The passenger cars undergo a much more stringent testing and rating system compared to quadracycles hence comparing the two or even leaving it open to interpretation is wrong. Bajaj also drew a considerable amount of flak from the NCAP committee for their claims and according to the agency was found to lack basic safety equipment and proper crumpling zones.

However, the Qute was tested with other European quadracycles like the Ligier IXO and Clubcar both of which received a zero star rating. The Aixam Crossover GTR, Tazzari Zero and Microcar M-GO Family however received similar ratings as the Qute.

 Why was this done?

As we said earlier Bajaj wanted the Qute to be approved by the Indian government for a public means of intra city travel but the request was rejected on the grounds of safety concerns (according to the government). There would’ve been no better way to prove the car’s worth than have it receive a good star rating from the EuroNCAP. Hence, the Qute was exported to Europe and other countries in a bid to prove that it was road worthy. Yes, it performed better than a few European branded quadracycles but claiming that the car is safer than a German passenger car that underwent the test over two years ago to influence a government’s decision can only be termed as misleading. Instead, bajaj could’ve argued the fact that how can e-rikshaws which aren’t regulated nor have any safety structure to speak of be cleared by authorities? Or even pitched it as a replacement of the CNG run auto-rikshaws which too lack everything when it comes to safety.