Bajaj Auto plans to commercially launch its quadricycle or the RE60 in the domestic market in the third quarter (October-December), provided the government does not change its stance, Kevin D’sa, chief financial officer at Bajaj Auto, told an analysts’ conference on Friday.

While the company has an annual production capacity of 60,000 units of the RE60 at its Waluj, Aurangabad plant, it has not set up a very ambitious target for the initial launch and is looking to sell about 3,000-5,000 vehicles in FY15.

?We are ready with the product and looking to launch it later this year in the third quarter provided the government does not take a U-turn on its decision,? said Kevin D’sa. ?It will be difficult to make volume projections as it is a new category,? he said.

Bajaj Auto has already got a nod from the government to start selling RE60 from October 1 and is now waiting for certification from Automotive Research Asociation of India (ARAI). ?We have applied for the ARAI certification and discussions with various state governments are in process,” said RC Maheshwari, president, Commercial Vehicles, Bajaj Auto.

Bajaj Auto is in discussion with the governments of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and others for the roll out.

?Quadricycle is a new category and it will take time for Bajaj Auto to establish it in the market. Operationally, too, there are going to be many glitches as additional approval from the regional transport authorities need to be taken to run the Quadricycle as a commercial vehicle,? said Pramod Amthe, auto analyst, CIMB, a Kuala Lumpur-based diversified financial services & investment banking firm.

RE60 was first unveiled in January 2012 at the auto expo in New Delhi as a lightweight four-wheeler based on a monocoque and powered by a nearly-200-cc engine. Since then it has been facing trouble either in getting approvals or with rivals who lobbied against Bajaj Auto getting the first mover advantage. Even now, a few players in the automotive industry have started lobbying with the new government to put roadblocks on the path of the launch of Bajaj Auto’s RE 60 quadricycle.

?Almost the entire industry is opposed to us. Those making three-wheelers and small cars are worried about the impact of the RE60 on their sales so a lot of lobbying is going in India. They are approaching the new government that the vehicle should not be scrapped but delayed,? Rajiv Bajaj, Bajaj Auto managing director, said at the company’s AGM on Thursday.