Team-BHP
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https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)
Eicher Motors is rumoured to be developing a small vehicle in collaboration with Polaris Industries. The vehicle will be aimed at bakers or small distributors in urban areas and small and marginal farmers. It will be available in two body styles - double cab micro-pickup and multi-purpose van. Owners will able to use it to transport their produce or passengers.
Reports suggest that the vehicle is currently undergoing homologation. Its engine, which is a 600 cc diesel unit sourced from Greaves Cotton, is expected to return 25 km to a litre of diesel. The vehicle is built on a tubular platform and is expected to use a lot of composite materials. 20 kg of plastic is expected to be used.
Eicher and Polaris have committed Rs. 250 crore to the project. The vehicle will be built at a new facility in Jaipur starting in May 2015. 10,000-12,000 units are expected to be produced in the first year. It could be increased to 1,00,000 units later. Exports of the vehicle have also been planned.
The new vehicle is expected to be pitted against the Tata Ace.
Source:
Economic Times
I think this vehicle may turn out to be a rival to the Tata Ace Zip & Mahindra Gio in pick-up format, and the Tata Ace Magic Iris & Mahindra Gio Passenger in the four-wheeled auto-rickshaw format.
The USP of this Polaris-Eicher built micro commercial vehicle could well be its off-road capability. Well, all-road or dirt-track capability to be precise - as suggested by farmers being among the primary target audience. It could be derived from one of Polaris' ATV platforms by suitably modifying the chassis & adding a cabin, plonking in the Greaves diesel engine and including features that would make it road-legal.
It would be interesting to see if this kind of micro-CV with dirt-track capability gets accepted by the farming & allied sectors. If it does, then it would turn out to be a revolutionary product like the Tata Ace and open up a huge market in the rural areas and established players like Tata, Mahindra, Piaggio etc. would also join the fray.
Eicher had built a brand new plant in Rajasthan which wasn't used till now. This vehicle and its derivates should enable them to put the factory to good use.
Eicher-Polaris ‘Flexituff’ small people carrier spied.
Source -Indian Autos Blog
Quote:
Earlier this year, a report indicated that Eicher Motors had collaborated with U.S.-based Polaris Industries to develop a new small vehicle that would target farmers, bakers and the small time agricultural industry in general.
A twin-cab pickup that would carry produce, and a MPV-like van to transport occupants would be the variants of this small vehicle, the report stated. These spyshots, snapped by Indian Autos Blog reader Mr. Karan, likely show the latter on test on North Indian highways ahead of a launch expected to take place this year.
The test mule in question features a tall body, and appears to be a tad longer in length compared to the Tata Magic Iris. Clearly, the vehicle, which is reported to be called the Flexituff, will have a utilitarian design with emphasis on interior space and load carrying capacity.
A Greaves Cotton supplied 600 cc diesel engine would power the Flexituff, with drive possibly going to the rear wheels. Eicher-Polaris will tune this engine to deliver about 25 km/l.
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Off topic curiosity- Polaris has developed
Dagor 4x4 compact for Special Forces in US. Has any component or design element from Dagor trickled down to Flexituff? Would like to see Polaris develop a civilian compact SUV based on Dagor!
Pic Source-
Polaris Defence
Quote:
Originally Posted by smartcat
(Post 3733591)
Unique feature of this UV is that the engine can be used as power generator.
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Bravo! clap:
That's smart thinking indeed by Eicher & Polaris! They seem to have perfectly understood the needs of their target customers in rural markets.
So when a small farmer now buys this Eicher-Polaris Multix, he is not only buying a vehicle to transport passengers & goods, he is also buying a diesel genset that can power his home during a power cut, and also provide power for the pump in his well (as long as it's not too power-hungry) to water his field!
It actually looks quite decent for such a utilitarian vehicle:
It can morph into a 3 kW power generator when required! :thumbs up
So when one buys a Multix, one does not have to purchase something like this separately:
This looks very funky actually.
Maybe stylists at Bajaj can pick up a cue or two from here and massage up the RE-60's aesthetics!
The Eicher-Polaris joint venture has launched its very first product in the form of the Multix. The Multix will be available in two variants and four colours, starting at a price of Rs. 2,32,850/- (ex-showroom Jaipur). Earlier believed to be named the "Flexituff", the Multix has been labelled a "personal utility vehicle" i.e. it can be used by private license holders as well. It has been developed with an investment of Rs. 350 Crore till date.
Link to Team-BHP news article 
Damn! Only Indians can pull of a tiny UV + Car + Pick Up Truck combo for this cheap and yet make it look so good! Makes me feel like owning one just for the sake of it. stupid:
It could also find use in hotel industry, replacing those electric carts in resorts (specially those with hilly terrain) for moving guests with their luggage while still providing the capability to go beyond pavements and much more. A vehicle to have for establishments in outdoor recreation business.
Kudos to Eicher-Polaris for taking having the endeavour for this leap.
What about sales? Branded as a Polaris product and through Polaris dealerships? Or an entirely new sales company/dealer network?
Smart vehicle I would say. I am in hunt for a vehicle to transport my farm produce. While the space and vehicle as such suits my requirement, Engine looks puny to pull the load in say mud road with inclines. Can anyone confirm Load carrying capacity of Multix?
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