AutoQ is our weekly round up of the automotive stories.
1. 50% Tariff on Harley Davidson Bikes by India Unacceptable: Trump
US President Donald Trump said that even though India has reduced its import tariff on American motorcycles from 100 percent to 50 percent, it is still too high and not acceptable to him.
Trump said the United States, under his leadership, is a country that can no longer be fooled. Trump was referring to the import tariff on the Harley Davidson motorcycles, an issue that has been close to his heart, and wants India to reduce it to zero.
"So, when Harley sends over there, they have 100 percent tax. When they (India) send in – they make a tremendous number of motorcycles – when they send them in, no tax. I called him. I said it's unacceptable,” Trump said, referring to his conversation with Prime Minister Modi.
Read the story here.
2. Riders in Bengaluru Can Now Book This Quadricycle With UberXS
Ride-hailing giant Uber on Thursday announced partnering with Bajaj Auto to introduce its Bajaj Qute passenger quadricycle in its fleet of UberXS services.
The Bajaj Qute is essentially a driver-plus-three-passenger-quadricycle – a four-wheeled vehicle that's smaller and lighter than a passenger car. Quadricycles are safer than a three-wheeler but have never been considered as a conventional four-wheeler option because of the significantly lower levels of safety and security they offer.
UberXS is a brand-new category in the India region and would initially offer Bajaj Qute exclusively in Bengaluru.
Read the story here.
4. India Won’t Be Able to Convert Two-Wheelers into Electric By 2025
The Indian government first decided to switch all its four-wheelers to electric by 2030, which was met with hue and cry from all corners of the industry with experts saying it’ll be impossible. So, the country’s regime decides to tone down the target, slowly realising things will be harder than first imagined.
Fast forward to June 2019, and reports suggest the focus has now shifted to two-wheelers, specifically the under 150cc engine category that is reportedly required to switch to electric by 2025, which is less than six years away. Now if you consider that transforming cars into electric in 10 years is not realistic, then how exactly are two-wheelers going to make the switch?
After all, let’s not forget, majority of Indians buy two-wheelers, and most of the volume is delivered by those under 150cc, the cash cow for manufacturers like Honda and Hero MotoCorp among others.
Read the story here.
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