Report - Piaggio Apé City diesel autorickshaw launched at Rs 1.8 lakh

Two-wheeler and three-wheeler manufacturer Piaggio has launched its latest Autorickshaw offering - the Apé City diesel. The autorickshaw is available only in the BS 3 avatar and costs Rs 1.80 lakh (ex-showroom Tamil Nadu).

The Piaggio Apé City runs on a 395 cc single-cylinder diesel engine that produces 7.5 Bhp of maximum power at 3,600 rpm and 16.7 Nm of peak torque at 2,200 rpm. The engine gets direct injection, but is not a turbocharged unit and is air-cooled. A 5-speed manual gearbox comes as standard.

The autorickshaw is also available in petrol, CNG and LPG fuel-compatible versions. The Apé City is manufactured at the company's Baramati plant in Maharashtra that has an annual production capacity of 300,000 vehicles.

Piaggio has been one of those companies that has shown keen interest in Quadricycles. Hence the company had showcased the NT3 Concept at the Auto Expo 2014. The NT3 carries a three-passenger seat rear bench with the driver seated in a central position up front, just like in an autorickshaw.

The NT3 prototype is powered either by a 230 cc or 350 cc petrol engine. Piaggio has also developed a 350 cc hybrid powertrain for the four wheeler. The NT3 has a top speed of 80 kph, returns up to 33 kmpl and has a benchmark exhaust figure of 70 g CO2/km.