Twinblade
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Is it the end of the road for the Gypsy?
Maruti Gypsy's sales to the Indian army may dry up after it fails to meet criteria for the latest contract
Amrit Raj
First Published: Tue, Apr 02 2013. 10 43 PM IST
When it was launched in 1985, the sleek but still rugged lines of the Gypsy made it an instant hit, although that popularity never really translated into massive sales figures.
The numbers and the ubiquity came when law-enforcement agencies around the country and the armed forces began adding the sports utility vehicle (SUV), originally based on the Suzuki Jimny, to their fleets. The more agile, petrol-driven Gypsy was preferred over the slower, diesel-driven vehicles that had until then proliferated within the ranks of the police and the services.
But the sales of the Gypsy to the armed forces may dry up, according to five people familiar with the matter who declined to be identified.
Will this be the end of the road for the vehicle, given that its biggest customer, the Indian Army, wants a sturdier vehicle with more modern features?
When the Indian Army sought bids for the 800kg general service vehicle category, Maruti didn't participate as it doesn't have one that meets the requirements. Maruti's Gypsy sells in the 500kg general service vehicle category.
Rivals such as Tata Motors Ltd, Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd and Nissan Motor Co. have bid for the contract for 30,000 vehicles valued at Rs.3,000 crore, according to the people cited above.
These people said that once an 800kg vehicle is selected, it will start replacing the Gypsy.
Features being sought include airbags, anti-lock braking systems, air-conditioning, power windows, five doors and central locking—specifications absent in the Gypsy, which pretty much still looks the way it did in 1985.
http://www.livemint.com/Industry/lvTMk1u5ravrN6uqauLm7O/Is-it-the-end-of-the-road-for-the-Gypsy.htmlWhile Mahindra is said to be sending a prototype based on its Scorpio SUV, the Tata Motors's prototype will be based on the Safari platform. Nissan, participating in a defence procurement bid for the first time in India, will send a prototype based on its X-Trail SUV. There is an old Indian Army connection with the Japanese company, however, through the P60 SUV"ƒthat Nissan introduced in the 1960s. It was modified into the Jabalpur Ordnance and Guncarriage Assembly—Jonga for short.
Price bids for the Indian Army vehicle tender will be opened after technical clearance is given to the prototypes. Testing will begin by the end of this month after the companies submit their sample vehicles by 15 April.
"The tender will be awarded to the lowest bidder," said one of the people cited above. "It will be a phase-wise purchase and the army will replace its entire fleet of Gypsys in some years. However, the new general service vehicles will only be a part of the army from 2017 as the process of bidding and placing orders normally takes three-four years."
The army will gradually stop procuring Gypsy SUVs and the vehicle will eventually be phased out, the person said.