[madan80]

An interesting article in today's Mint, is that the Maruti Gypsy might be phased out due to the fact that its single biggest customer- the Army- has given specifications for a new type of General purpose vehicle. On an average - the army procures only about 3000 of the Gypsys a year - so it does not make any sense for maruti to invest in R&D in improving the Gypsy.

The new specs given by the army include ABS, Airbags, Powerwindows, and other requirements that the Gypsy won’t meet include the stipulations about being diesel driven, having a minimum 120 horse power, compliant with Bharat Stage (BS) III and BS IV environmental norms and weighing 800kg or above, apart from climbing ability- the gypsy is currently in the 500Kgs Category!

http://www.livemint.com/Industry/lvT...the-Gypsy.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=Sv9tX036NJw

[Viju]

Originally Posted by madan80

The new specs given by the army include ABS, Airbags, Powerwindows, and other requirements that the Gypsy won’t meet include the stipulations about being diesel driven, having a minimum 120 horse power, compliant with Bharat Stage (BS) III and BS IV environmental norms and weighing 800kg or above, apart from climbing ability- the gypsy is currently in the 500Kgs Category!

I may be wrong, but the 120 horse power criteria sounds tailor-made for the TML and M&M AVL engines (the lower state tune ones).

But on a positive note, it is really good to see that someone thought that our soldiers are worth spending on safety features for.

Now only if they make ABS and Airbags for all passenger vehicles also!

[madan80]

Originally Posted by Viju

I may be wrong, but the 120 horse power criteria sounds tailor-made for the TML and M&M AVL engines (the lower state tune ones).

Im quite looking forward to the x-trail based Nissan vehicles. If they then make that locally and launch it- it will be a goodbye for a lot of suvs! The order will be for 30,000 vehicles - so the R&D spends will justify them being sold to the civi market.

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by madan80

...The order will be for 30,000 vehicles - so the R&D spends will justify them being sold to the civi market.

The first post says the order will be for 3000 vehicles and NOT 30,000. Is that a goof up? Ofcourse, 30K vehicles is a good number to justify the R&D costs, but Maruti does NOT choose to have it. So was that a typo?

[madan80]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

The first post says the order will be for 3000 vehicles and NOT 30,000. Is that a goof up? Ofcourse, 30K vehicles is a good number to justify the R&D costs, but Maruti does NOT choose to have it. So was that a typo?

from the Mint website:

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.

3000 Vehicles for 3000 crores would allow the Army to buy Landcruisers 30,000 Vehicles at 3000 crores would mean a healthy 10L per vehicle.

WRT the typo - I am inclined to believe what is reported in the Mint.

[Blue Thunder]

Originally Posted by madan80

An interesting article in today's Mint, is that the Maruti Gypsy might be phased out due to the fact that its single biggest customer- the Army- has given specifications for a new type of General purpose vehicle. ..

Thanks for the link, madan80 !

In case MUL completely stops production of the Gypsy after this development, we are probably looking at a price increase in the used-Gypsy market ?

[simplyself]

Plonk the ubiquitous Fiat sourced MJD into its engine bay, shorten the overall length to bring it under 4 metres and price it appropriately ( the present price is 6 lakh plus, ex-showroom), and it may sell in decent numbers.

[Motored Mindset]

Its disheartening to see the Gypsy making the slow, silent march to extinction. While there have been rumours abound of the Jimny making it to India for the past few years, it seems that the compact, rugged SUV segment is something that Maruti doesn't seem to want to pursue any longer.

I feel this is a mis-step on their part because the Gypsy has a huge amount of brand recall as a go-anywhere vehicle that would severely out-manouvre the lumbering Mahindra diesels. While folks may not associate Maruti with a D segment sedan like the Kizashi or an expensive SUV like the Grand Vitara, they surely do with the nimble qualities of the Gypsy. Another reason would be the fact that a Gypsy replacement would be rendered obsolete by the XA Alpha which would share engines and deliver a far more comfortable ride and modern looks at a comparable price point.

[9thsphinx]

Why am I having a feeling that this is Mahindra's doing? With an excellent lineup of MUV's, and SUV's, it only makes sense the Indian Army chooses a brand that has high regard and the correct expertise that cater to the Army's specific requirements. Even if the Army doesn't select one from the existing portfolio, I'd bet Mahindra will be more than obligated to develop a new product altogether for the Army.

RIP Gypsy. You were too cool while you were at it!

[ku69rd]

Originally Posted by simplyself

Plonk the ubiquitous Fiat sourced MJD into its engine bay, shorten the overall length to bring it under 4 metres and price it appropriately ( the present price is 6 lakh plus, ex-showroom), and it may sell in decent numbers.

Believe Maruti is already working overtime on bringing the XA Alpha Concept to hit the markets. Only question is when they would want to release it? That will be an ideal car with the 1.3 MJD. You can access more on this link for any photos you might have missed out

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...po-2012-a.html

[Maky]

Originally Posted by madan80

An interesting article in today's Mint, is that the Maruti Gypsy might be phased out due to the fact that its single biggest customer- the Army- has given specifications for a new type of General purpose vehicle. On an average - the army procures only about 3000 of the Gypsys a year - so it does not make any sense for maruti to invest in R&D in improving the Gypsy.

The new specs given by the army include ABS, Airbags, Powerwindows, and other requirements that the Gypsy won’t meet include the stipulations about being diesel driven, having a minimum 120 horse power, compliant with Bharat Stage (BS) III and BS IV environmental norms and weighing 800kg or above, apart from climbing ability- the gypsy is currently in the 500Kgs Category!

http://www.livemint.com/Industry/lvT...the-Gypsy.html

http://www.Youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=Sv9tX036NJw

I'm surprised to hear the old Gypsy weighed only 500Kgs. Also, Very Happy to see the Govt. providing some niceties for our Army : ). Oh and Wouldn't the car also have to be 4x4 ?
Thanks for sharing madan.

[Altocumulus]

Does that mean sometime in future we will have a lot of Army gypsies for sale at throwaway prices ?

Thats definitely something I would be in the look out for.

[BoneCollector]

In 2008, I had a chance of visiting a few forward bases and it was not good to see that the people from our Armed forces were provided vehicles which had no bare necessities for a safe and fatigue free driving. Those guys had tough time driving the Gypsy over non existent roads. My sense of appreciation and respect for them grew leaps and bounds after looking at their lives from close quarters. Then also I had questioned the absence of power steering in it as it was a basic need for such bad roads. Now I feel happy for the boys and good to see incorporation of safety features also. I read somewhere last week that Mahindra Scorpios have been taken in bulk by our Air Force. That might become true for other wings also. But somehow,I feel that the Gypsy is much better in handling such terrains considering its size and long time use by the forces. Lets hope for a good future for our forces. And i'll surely miss the Gypsy like so many others on this forum.

[howler]

Originally Posted by Maky

I'm surprised to hear the old Gypsy weighed only 500Kgs. Also, Very Happy to see the Govt. providing some niceties for our Army : ). Oh and Wouldn't the car also have to be 4x4 ?
Thanks for sharing madan.

I think the reference is to payload and not vehicle weight

[speedmiester]

According to the news article, the new vehicles will be inducted into the Army from 2017. Does this mean,Gypsy will get a lifeline for another 4-5 years.