The biggest tractor exporter from India, Sonalika Tractors, intends to join the developing European electric quadricycle market, beginning in the Netherlands, in response to the growing demand for clean micro-mobility on a worldwide scale. A top company executive claims that Sonalika has already collaborated with a multinational engineering firm to build a product targeted at Western markets.
“The product (quadricycle) is being developed at a good pace,” Raman Mittal, joint managing director of Sonalika Group, told Autocar Professional. Although he did not say when the product would launch, it might be ready in 12 to 24 months.
Sonalika, a tractor manufacturer situated in Punjab, holds a significant market share of approximately 13.5% in India. The company has a 34.3% export market share, making it one of India’s top tractor exporters. Sonalika Group believes that as electric microcars are becoming more and more popular in Europe, now is the ideal moment to enter this market. Compared to regular cars, they are substantially lighter and smaller, and they are also simpler to park and maneuver in congested areas.
In Europe, they are officially recognized as L7E (heavy quadricycles) and L6E (light quadricycles), despite the fact that they are sometimes referred to as “microcars” in Amsterdam.
This new model is probably going to be produced at the company’s third factory, a brand-new, electric-only manufacturing facility. At the same location, Sonalika will produce electric tractors in addition to the EV quadricycle. The company is establishing a second plant in Hoshiarpur, Punjab, for exports, in addition to its current one.
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