Origin and Design
African and Indian three-wheelers have followed the original design of the Piaggio Ape C, from 1948, which was originally based on the Vespa. In India, Bajaj Auto produced under Piaggio license from 1959 to 1974.
Auto rickshaws of Southeast Asia started from the knockdown production of the Daihatsu Midget which had been introduced in 1957. Japan had been exporting three-wheelers to Thailand since 1934. Moreover, The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications of Japan donated about 20,000 used three-wheelers to Southeast Asia. In Japan, three-wheelers went out of use in the latter half of the 1960s.
The word rickshaw originates from the Japanese word "Jinrikisha" (人力車, 人 jin = human, 力 riki = power or force, 車 sha = vehicle), which literally means "Human-powered vehicle".
An auto rickshaw is generally characterized by a sheet-metal body or open frame resting on three wheels, a canvas roof with drop-down sides, a small cabin in the front of the vehicle for the driver (sometimes called an auto-wallah), and seating space for up to three passengers in the rear. Newer models are generally fitted with an CNG-fueled scooter version of a 200cc four-stroke engine, with handlebar controls instead of a steering wheel.
Read more about this topic: Auto Rickshaw
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