We recently had a short email exchange with the president of Bajaj USA, Al Kolvites, and we were informed that the 3-wheelers, known as rickshaws in some other countries, are no longer available in the states. Kolvites cites the manual transmission as one major reason as to why the 3-wheelers didn't sell very well in the U.S. Apparently, modifications were needed to make the machines DOT and EPA compliant, and Bajaj did not see the point of making the required changes considering the low number of units actually sold in the U.S. Kolvites says that he had asked for an automatic transmission version to sell here, but Bajaj declined, saying that most of their customers preferred the shift-it-yourself tranny and the mileage benefits that generally accompany them.
Bajaj USA has sold out of the inventory of 3-wheelers, meaning that if you want one, you'll need to scour the used market. We're truly sad to hear that the venerable rickshaw is no longer available in the states, especially considering the fuel mileage that the unique machines were capable of.
1. Wow I cannot IMAGINE why that didn't sell over here.
Posted at 6:00PM on May 2nd 2008 by Dan Davis