Bajaj RE Auto Rickshaw History

Bajaj Auto entered three-wheeler manufacturing in 1959 when it obtained a licence from the Government of India to produce two- and three-wheelers. Early production was based on Piaggio Ape-derived technology, and Bajaj quickly became the dominant supplier of the auto-rickshaw — the ubiquitous three-wheeled taxi-transport backbone of Indian cities.

The modern RE series (RE Compact, RE 4S) evolved through successive upgrades from two-stroke to four-stroke engines, meeting progressively tighter emission standards. A rear-engine variant was introduced in 1977. As of the mid-2020s, Bajaj is the world's largest manufacturer of three-wheelers and accounts for approximately 84% of India's three-wheeler exports, shipping to over 70 countries across Asia, Africa, and Latin America.