New Delhi, Nov 23 (IANS): Creating a new segment of affordable four-wheelers, the government on Friday decided to allow use of quadricycles -- four-wheelers with less power and lower maximum speed than conventional small cars -- as non-transport vehicles paving the way for their private use.

The Road Transport and Highways Ministry issued the notification inserting the item "quadricycle" as a "non-transport" vehicle under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, an official statement said.

"Quadricycles were only allowed for transport usage under the Act, but now have been made usable for non-transport also," it added.

Fully covered like a car, a quadricycle weighs almost half as much as an entry-level small car and has an engine like that of a three-wheeler, which makes it a cheap and safe mode of transport for last-mile connectivity.

Quadricycles have existed for about three decades in Europe and officially became a new class of vehicles known as "low-speed vehicle" in the US in 1998 and in Canada in 2000.

With petrol and CNG versions, Bajaj Auto's Qute, first unveiled in 2012, was one of the first quadricycles manufactured in India. However, it could not be launched due to regulatory and safety concerns. In June, the government allowed quadricycles for commercial use, paving the way for the launch of such vehicles.

With the government allowing their use as personal vehicles, other manufacturers are expected to launch similar products sooner than later.