Bajaj Qute Drag Races Cyclist Because It's the Only One It Can Beat—Or Can It?

According to the company's website, Bajaj Auto is the "leading manufacturer of motorcycles and three-wheelers," but it's not clear how, where, or even why. What is plenty obvious, though, is the fact Bajaj specializes in things with fewer wheels than four.

However, since expanding into new markets is always a good business strategy, Bajaj has also launched the Qute. This rear-engine rear-wheel-drive four-seat quadricycle offers a bit of extra practicality over its three-wheeled counterparts. The nameplate is actually eight years old (initially called RE60), but the red example you'll see in the clip is reportedly of the new ilk.

We'll admit we don't know too much about the Qute so we'll go with what Ciro, the host of the Cars.co.za YouTube channel, tells us about it. According to his description, the Qute has a single-cylinder 216 cc engine good for 8.08 kW (don't laugh about the exaggerated precision of the power figure, in this range, every little bit counts). That translates to roughly 11 hp, which is way off the 20 hp we remembered from the RE60 era, but who knows, they might have come to the conclusion it didn't need all that power.

Well, if anything might make Bajaj Auto change its mind about that, it's this race. The Qute is pitted against a cyclist and his bicycle and, even though Ashley Oldfield—the guy in spandex—has strong legs, he's not exactly a professional rider. If the Qute loses, it's going to look really, really bad.

The 13.94 lb-ft (18.9 Nm) of torque the little Bajaj makes will be heavily tested by the fact that all of its four seats are each occupied by male adults. That almost doubles its overall weight of 882 lbs (400 kg), making the task of accelerating and potentially reaching its top speed of 43.5 mph (70 km/h) all the more challenging.

All things considered, who would you put your money on? We're not going to lie; we banked on the cyclist. That thing will definitely struggle to get up to speed, and even when it does, a good cyclist on a lightweight bike can still match its top speed. However, with the first race done, the team decides to reduce the Qute's handicap by removing two passengers. With the now tired legs of the cyclist, will that be enough to score a win for the motorized vehicle? Click below and see for yourself.