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Background If you were to do a search on Wikipedia, the term Quadricycle exists since 1896, when Ford called his vehicle, which ran on four bicycle tires with an engine driving the back wheels, the "Quadricycle". In modern-day France, a quadricycle is a 4-wheel car that cannot go faster than 28 mph and weighs less than 770 pounds. Latest Development The India government has approved quadricycle as a new category of vehicle to be allowed to run on Indian roads. The road transport and highways ministry has issued the final notification on the standards for quadricycle, such as its weight, emission and safety features. The passenger quadricycle will have a maximum weight of 475 kg and before being launched, it has to go through a mandatory crash test that would determine the passenger safety standards. Along with those running on conventional fuel, the government has also given approval for electric and hybrid quadricycles. “The final standards for the category have been issued. Any company that manufactures quadricycle can sell it in India. We have ensured that the safety standards for quadricycle are more stringent than the European standards,” a road transport and highways ministry official said. “All safety standards that are prescribed for other passenger four-wheelers are prescribed for quadricycle as well. The vehicle will be tested on its crash worthiness as well,” the official said. Bajaj Qute Bajaj has been the pioneer of last mile city transport. It’s auto rickshaw is an Indian icon recognized around the world. With the urban landscape changing in last few years, Bajaj has once again pioneered the transformation in the way modern India will move by introducing Qute- a smart move for solving the urban problems. Qute is a four-wheeler, yet not a car. It comes under a whole new category — the quadricycle. It is a new-age vehicle that carries the attributes of a three-wheeler as well as those of a car. It is compact, lightweight, and has a carbon footprint that is 37% lesser than the smallest car available. With a patented fuel injected Digital Tri-spark ignition engine that delivers C02 emissions of just 66gms/km & a mileage of 36kmpl, the Qute is possibly the greenest & leanest 4-wheeler anywhere in the world, and perhaps the safest too. Thanks to its restricted weight & speed of under 450 kgs & 70 kmph respectively, the Qute, unlike cars, is no threat to pedestrians, cyclists & 2-wheeler riders who represent the vast majority of casualties on our roads. The simple truth is that fast & heavy cars can kill slowly with emissions or instantaneously upon impact. Bajaj Qute, the world’s first affordable "Anti-car" quadricycle was thus designed specifically for intra-city travel that’s always green, never mean. Technical Specifications Engine: 216.6cc CNG and LPG variants available Gear: Sequential gear shift like motorcycles (5 forward + 1 reverse) Peak Power: 13.2 PS Max Speed: 70 Kmph Dimension: 2,752 mm (L) x 1,312 mm (W) x 1,652 mm (H) Wheel Base: 1,925 mm Wheel Track: 1,143 mm Turning Radius: 3.5 m

Good morning and Blessed Christmas to everybody! Norwegian Airlines, an award winning European low-cost carrier, started operations in Singapore (flying London Gatwick to Singapore) back in late 2017 but they have since announced that they are stopping their flights to Singapore in Jan 2019. Had an opportunity to fly with Norwegian, London Gatwick to Singapore, in their Premium cabin. You can think of Norwegian like Scoot - their core product is in Economy low cost, but they offer a premium cabin on some flights, especially in their long haul ones, and they also operated the Boeing 787. This flight was from London Gatwick to Singapore. The full flight review video is below. Take note, the flight was from London Gatwick, and not London Heathrow. That morning, we took the Gatwick Express train from London Victoria station to London Gatwick airport. Norwegian has its hub at Gatwick, so the check-in lines were crowded. As we were in Premium, there was a dedicated line for Premium passengers. Unfortunately, one of our bags exceeded 20kg, so we had to do some instant repacking. Tip - weigh your heaviest bags first. After that little hiccup, we got our boarding passes and lounge invites, and were on our way. We headed to security, and we could use Fast Track (called Gatwick Premium). There was still a line for Gatwick Premium, but it moved much faster. Remember to put all your liquids in the clear plastic bags that they provided. MY LOUNGE - HOME OF NORWEGIAN From the security area, it was a very short walk to the lounge. The lounge that Norwegian uses at Gatwick is called My Lounge, Home of Norwegian. Fascinating, I didn't know that Norwegian had its own lounge. After spending about 1.5 hours in the lounge, it was time to board. The walk to Gate 34 took about 15 minutes, so give yourself ample time. Boarding was very smooth. Once aboard, the cabin crew served a drink (water or orange juice, no alcohol). Pushback was on time. Even though the single runway was pretty crowded - we managed to take off in good time. We were blessed to have departed from Gatwick shortly before the recent drones incident, where the airport was pretty much shut for 3 days! Thank God we got home safely and quickly before that drama. Check out the full pushback and takeoff video: As this was a day flight (departing Gatwick at 1050hrs), I didn't expect to be sleeping much. Shortly after takeoff, the drinks service began. Stewardess came around to offer drinks. In Premium, beer, white wine, red wine, water are complimentary. However, if you wanted spirits, you would have to pay. You can order from the touch-screen. See 3:15 of the video for the prices. LUNCH WAS SERVED - 3 CHOICES After drinks were served, the meal cart came along. As there were no printed menus, the stewardess had to tell us the options. There were 3 options for lunch - beef, chicken and fish (salmon). I chose the salmon with risotto, while my wife took the chicken dish. Both were very good. The meals were served in a fairly large box, with disposable cutlery. There was a small side salad and dessert. The main course portion was of a decent size and I certainly was full after eating it (including a warm bun). Food was tasty, no complaints. After lunch was cleared up, the cabin lights were dimmed, and most passengers tried to catch a nap. SEATS The Premium seats were comfortable. We were right in front, and I was in 1J, window seat. Let's be clear, this is not a lie-flat bed. But the seats and space were very comfortable. I noticed that in the Boeing 787-9, the configuration in Premium was 2-3-2, i.e. only 7 seats abreast. When fully reclined, the seat was very comfortable, and I certainly managed to snooze. Norwegian provided a comfy blanket, but no pillow, so bring your own if you need a pillow. MID FLIGHT SNACK About 5 hours before landing, when the plane was somewhere over the Indian sub-continent, cabin light were increased slightly, and a cabin crew came around handing out chicken wraps as well as water. I guess this was the mid-flight snack. The wrap was tasted ( I ate it all up!) BREAKFAST - 2 HOURS BEFORE LANDING The scheduled landing time in Singapore was 0730hrs (local time). Singapore was 8 hours ahead of London. About 2 hours before landing, cabin lights came on, and I could smell the food being warmed up at the galley. Not long after, the meal cart came out and breakfast was served. There was no choice - we were all given the same box, which contained About Overall, I found the service to be efficient, and even pleasant. Would I fly with Norwegian on Premium again? Why not? The fares were competitively priced and I think worth the money for a long-haul flight. The other perks at Gatwick like dedicated check-in line, Fast-Track at security as well as Lounge access were awesome too, and added to the Premium experience. Recommended. On a personal note, as I live in Singapore, I find it a pity that Norwegian has decided to end her long-haul service in early 2019, after only flying to Singapore for a very short period of time. I'm glad I managed to fly on this award winning airline during her short stint in Singapore. I hope Norwegian comes back! EDIT Sorry, typo in the title. Should be low cost carrier and not career.

There hasn't been any write up on travel to this lesser known area in Indonesia. In fact, only when I was invited to visit my friend's hometown of Semarang, then did I googled about it. The invite came just as Singapore was enveloped in haze last month & was informed by my friend that his hometown is free of it. I brought a box of face masks just in case

After Nissan confirmed that it will resurrect the Datsun brand for emerging markets, Volkswagen is said to be planning a sub-brand as well for such markets. In addition, VW will be offering these budget vehicles for sale in Europe. These low-cost VWs will be built in India or China via current joint-ventures and will be sold from 6,000 Euros (S$9500) onwards. This is cheaper than the cheapest VW model in Europe, the Up!, which cost 9,975 Euros. According to Der Spiegel, an online German news magazine, the lineup could consist of a hatchback, sedan, wagon and SUV with sales starting as soon as 2015. These models will be based on existing platforms so as to reduced production costs. Since these cars are targeted at emerging markets, expect the equipment level to be basic and functional. Perhaps, they may be equipped with just twin airbags instead of six airbags commonly found in the rest of the VW range. All these vehicles will be equipped with Euro 6 compliant engines with front-wheel drive setup. I am not sure if the move by VW will cannibalize on the sales of another brand under the group, Skoda. The Czech automaker is also targeting at the emerging markets such as India, China and Russia. For instance, the Rapid sedan is built with such intention in mind.