KATHMANDU: Piaggio Vehicles Pvt. Ltd., the pioneer of the 3-wheeler, has come up with a new product Ape City Deluxe Model three-wheeler, targeting the Dashain festival.

The new deluxe model was launched in Birgunj on Wednesday targeting both the urban and rural markets.

Speaking at a press conference organized by MV Dugar Group at Laxman Babu Bhawan, Naxal in Kathmandu on Thursday, Sudhanshu Agrawal, vice president of Piaggio Vehicles Pvt. Ltd., said the company has come up with a new Ape City deluxe three-wheeler targeting both the urban and rural markets.

According to Agrawal, the deluxe model is not only designed to cater to the needs of the people commuting a short distance, i.e., from the airport to bus station and to the house or vice versa but also helps promote the culture of self-entrepreneurship in a development country like Nepal.

“The new product, which runs both on diesel and petrol, is available for the same price of the previous model, Agrawal said, adding, “The new product is safer, more comfortable and its spare parts are easily available.”

When asked about the impact of the government decision to ban the three-wheeler in Kathmandu on their new product, Vivek Dugar, vice chairman of the MV Dugar Group, said the new product is not Kathmandu-centric rather it will target the new areas where the roads are narrow and under construction. He claimed that the three-wheeler is useful in a mountainous country like Nepal where are roads are comparatively narrower.

The company has also planned to launch electricity-operated automobiles by the end of this year in Nepal.