[noopster]

Originally Posted by sudeep.pandya

Will Mahindra make its way to 7, Race course road?

You have to admire Anand Mahindra's savvy for spotting a Marketing opportunity. This was featured prominently in today's ToI- am sure a lot of potential Mahindra buyers saw it

Originally Posted by msdivy

SPG decides the security, not PM. SPG already have a fleet customized BMWs. Very unlikely they will go for Scorpio.

I would personally be very proud if the PM used a car that was 100% Indian, if only to make a statement. On a lighter note, I hope those BMWs of his are not running runflats!

[SmartCat]

For those interested, some of the safety features of the bullet proof 7 series

http://www.bmw.com/com/en/general/co...fety_advantage

Originally Posted by noopster

On a lighter note, I hope those BMWs of his are not running runflats!

Unfortunately, they are! We haven't heard outgoing PMs complaining about bad back though.

[IndianNomad]

Originally Posted by one-77

On a similar note, the new Telengana CM has got himself two bulletproofed Prados at 4 Crores and a convoy of black T-Forts.

Attachment 1242939
Attachment 1242940

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper...cle6023645.ece

Previous Andhra Pradesh CM has bought those 2 in October 2013, now after the elections results those 2 divided as 1 each for Telangana CM and Andhra Pradesh CM.

[ramzsys]

With due regards to our newly elected Prime Minister;

Hope the head of the Government uses the already existing state-of-the-art infrastructure; any additional expenses incurred will be only at the burden of the tax payers.

[MaxTorque]

Personally I like to see an Indian vehicle serving Prime Minister. But will the same vehicle may be serving the VIP guests as well? In that case it will be better to go for the existing BMW fleet.

[autohead]

I would prefer DC to have a go on an AMBY with an extended wheelbase and the works or if we think out of the box an customized ARIA wouldn't be a bad choice.

[shortbread]

Please not a scorpio, the world is watching.

A Range Rover long wheelbase will be apt.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBjKTx5uPyg

[maddy42]

Love the Scorpios in his convoy. Guess he stayed away from the XUV after reading this thread. Had to tweet that to Anand mahindra too .

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...solutions.html

My vote would be for a Indian brand or stick to the existing BMW's. Safari and scorpio mix would do well for our automakers.

Am sure Bhpians would agree with me if i asked for the Merc G wagon 6*6 in the convoy. Can get away anywhere.

Maddy

[VeyronSuperSprt]

Mahindra carrying out it's R&D with the life of the prime minister??? Let's not exhibit our misplaced "patriotism" using the PM as a guinea pig!!

BMW and Merc have been making high security cars for ages and not as a one-off R&D experiment using the PM as bait!!!

How many of us, if we were given access to unlimited resources to buy and maintain a car would choose a Mahindra over a BMW ?

Come on guys, lets exhibit our sudden and unusual "patriotism" for things Indian in some other area.

[one-77]

Personally, I think the new PM should stick with the current BMWs. Buying new armoured cars would be unnecessary expenditure to the exchequer.

Even if he were to get new cars, he should get executive sedans. True, SUVs (Range Rover, etc.) give out a muscular image, but that is not what a statesman should project. If we look closely we can note that elected heads of state of all civilized and developed nations opt only for sedans, usually an armoured S-class.

Only in war-torn/ underdeveloped countries do prime ministers (often former warlords) get driven around in Range Rovers and Land Cruisers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Official_state_car

On a lighter note, here is a pic of the Dutch PM Mark Rutte cycling to work.



I truly hope, someday, India will be a place safe enough for the Indian PM to do the same.

[dj78]

Alternatively they can order the bullet proof kit for Scorpio on Snapdeal http://www.snapdeal.com/product/mahi...hicle/65710327

[msdivy]

Originally Posted by shortbread

A Range Rover long wheelbase will be apt.

Apt choice, considering that it is now owned by an Indian conglomerate.

Originally Posted by one-77

On a lighter note, here is a pic of the Dutch PM Mark Rutte cycling to work.

Indian PM is essentially work from home. He can walk from from his house to his office. These armored vehicles are not that frequently used. But can't say about Modi, he might travel more.

[Dry Ice]

Sensitivities aside, our PM is taking over at a time when the economy is in a difficult situation, there must be other far more important things on his to-do list than choosing a car for his convoy.

Like so many members have already commented, what's wrong with using the existing PM fleet? The Scorpio that he currently uses, is that his personal vehicle or a GJ govt vehicle? If latter, shouldn't it go to the next CM of GJ?

Agree with noopster though, gotta give it to AM for spotting a tremendous marketing opportunity!

[zenren]

Originally Posted by one-77

Personally, I think the new PM should stick with the current BMWs. Buying new armoured cars would be unnecessary expenditure to the exchequer.

Current fleet is 5 years old and would likely be replaced with newer BMWs even if SPG/PM decides to stick with BMW. So the cost savings is highly unlikely. Choosing a Mahindra/Tata instead of a foreign luxury marque is also not going to save much for the exchequer since the cost to get it to the security levels mandated by SPG would be the bigger chunk when compared to the base cost of the vehicle.

[90Horses]

If I were to suggest a fleet for our dearest PM NaMo, I would opt for a Toyota LandCruiser Prado. Toyota stands out to be a standard for Quality, Durability and Reliability and I wish NaMo's fleet may never let him down from doing what he wants to do.