The Hindu : Business : Three-wheeler segment riding high

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Saturday, Mar 22, 2008
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Three-wheeler segment riding high

R. Ramabhadran Pillai

KOCHI: While the two-wheeler segment is passing through a sluggish phase, the three-wheeler vehicle sector is moving ahead. With the availability of a wide variety of cars in the primary and secondary markets, suitable to the middle class pocket, many two-wheeler owners made a switch-over. Simultaneously, there has been a growth in urban traffic thanks to a growing economy and that has been accounted for the rise in the three-wheeler industry.

Two of the recent additions in the three-wheeler segment bring out the underlying factors in the industry.

Mahindra & Mahindra and Piaggio have introduced new models to cater to the increasing demand in the sector.

Piaggio has launched Ape Xtra and Ape Xtra LD. These vehicles are likely to set a whole new standard in three-wheeler performance, having been meticulously engineered to deliver outputs on all critical parameters, says Ashutosh Khosla, director, Sales and Marketing.

Ape Xtra has a stronger loading platform, an extra gearbox, a new clutch that ensures extra life and a new engine oil offering longer drain period resulting in reduced periodical maintenance.

The Ape Xtra LD variant has all the above features and an extra long deck. An increase in loading area of 2.5 sq.ft. offers 12 per cent more loading area. This means extra space, extra volume and of course, extra earnings, he says.

Mahindra’s Alfa Passenger offers several customer-centric features which add greater value to the vehicle, according to Hyder Khan, DGM, Marketing (Auto Sector).

He claims that the floor panel of the vehicle is 20 per cent larger while the overall height is around 10 per cent more compared to the vehicles in the competing categories.

Mahindra is planning to launch CNG and LPG versions of the three-wheeler in the passenger and cargo segments soon.

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