[DRPSREDDY]

Force Gurkha Pickup Spied For The First Time!!

Originally Posted by Rushlane

Pickup trucks are one of the most versatile forms of automobiles in the world. Currently, there are only two pickup trucks on offer in India. Isuzu V-Cross Hi-Lander starts from Rs. 19.49 lakh and Toyota Hilux starts from Rs. 30.4 lakh (both prices ex-sh). Prospect of a sub Rs. 10 lakh pickup truck died with Tata Xenon XT and Mahindra Scorpio Getaway.

But the prospect of Rs. 15 lakh pickup truck might soon be a reality as Force Motors is testing one based on its Cruiser MUV. When launched, it will slot into Gurkha brand and will be the most affordable pickup truck in India for PV space. The test mule looks production ready too. Launch might be sooner than later.

Force Motors is planning to enter a segment where top manufacturers have exited due to lackluster sales, the TATA XENON and MAHINDRA GETAWAY. Agreed that people are now of lately showing interest in the segment and there are 2 products in the luxury segment. Can the company show success?

Secondly as a pickup, the load bay is merged with the cabin. Don't you think it will cause a problem with the body structure though the chassis is the same?






Rushlane - FORCE Gurkha pickup spied

Copyright (C) 'RUSH LANE' Read more at... https://www.rushlane.com/force-gurkh...-12469496.html .

[Ashley Nair]

Why not count the Mahindra Camper in the same league? It's a good-looking and capable vehicle, far more handsome than the Gurkha (though looks are subjective).

[BANDHAV]

Originally Posted by Ashley Nair

Why not count the Mahindra Camper in the same league? It's a good-looking and capable vehicle, far more handsome than the Gurkha (though looks are subjective).

The product placement is funny, 4x4 doesnt comes with AC. The Gold variant which comes with AC, doesnt have the 4x4 option.

[4x4addict]

Originally Posted by DRPSREDDY

Force Gurkha Pickup Spied For The First Time

With Tata and Mahindra having exited the personal double cabin pick up space Force literally has no competition in this product category. The Vcross will be at least 10 lakhs more and less said about the price of the hilux the better.

Originally Posted by Ashley Nair

Why not counting Mahindra camper in the league?

Originally Posted by BANDHAV

The product placement is funny

The reason is exactly what @Bandav said. The 4x4 comes with solid axles but no Air Con and cannot be privately registered. The Camper Gold one comes with AC and Independent Front suspension but only in 2WD guise. That one can be had with a white board, but not the 4WD version.

Setting aside the looks which is subjective, The Gurkha based platform will offer much better ride and handling than the Camper not to mention much better interior ergonomics.

Xenon is also now available only from the Tata Commercial Vehicles division with yellow board.

If Force plans and implements the product well, they can target the erstwhile private Getaway and Xenon Customers. First and foremost, they need to put a decently speced engine, not the under powered one that comes in the current Gurkha. Secondly, they need to price it competitively as Force doesn't have the brand recognition or the dealer network to compete with Tata/Mahindra.

[condor]

Looking at the rear-view, I think they could have placed the rear indicators in the bumpers and widened the load-bay door. A slim LED indicators in the present position could also have been done, but may be perceived as too narrow to be seen (though wont be that bad in actual use).

[DRPSREDDY]

Originally Posted by 4x4addict

Xenon is also now available only from the Tata Commercial Vehicles division with yellow board.

If Force plans and implements the product well, they can target the erstwhile private Getaway and Xenon Customers.

Xenon, now called Yodha is selling quite well in the commercial space. I feel that Tata should re-enter the ‘body on ladder frame’ segment with a 4X4 Thar like SUV, a 7 seater bigger SUV, and a Hexa like SUV. Understand that this segment doesn't have a huge market and Tata thinks with brain about the smaller size segment due to financial reasons, but feel we should have some cars here.

Originally Posted by condor

Looking at the rear-view, I think they could have placed the rear indicators in the bumpers and widened the load-bay door.

They have just cut down the existing product, the Force Cruiser and converted it into a load bay. If you closely look, the load bay and cabin is attached. That is why they have avoided huge changes to the load area to avoid cost escalations by using the existing door with the hinges.

Anyone who is a structural engineer, please update us if the body can take the stress, if we load heavy material in that bay, or will it create body issues?

[DicKy]

Originally Posted by condor

Looking at the rear-view, I think they could have placed the rear indicators in the bumpers and widened the load-bay door. A slim LED indicators in the present position could also have been done, but may be perceived as too narrow to be seen (though wont be that bad in actual use).

Looking at the rear tailgate, looks like a chop job. Otherwise why would a pickup have side opening tailgate?

Originally Posted by DRPSREDDY

Secondly as a pickup, the load bay is merged with the cabin. Don't you think it will cause a problem with the body structure though the chassis is the same?

Originally Posted by DRPSREDDY

...I feel that TATA should re-enter the Body on Ladder frame segment with a 4X4 THAR like SUV, a 7 seater bigger SUV, and a HEXA like SUV...They have just cut down the existing product, the FORCE CRUISER and converted it into a load bay. If you closely look, the load bay and cabin is attached. That is why they have avoided huge changes to the load area to avoid cost escalations by using the existing door with the hinges.....Anyone who is a structural engineer, please update us if the body can take the stress, if we load heavy material in that bay, or will it create body issues?

Thanks for pointing out that the loadbay is not separate. So Force did their study and came to a conclusion that this lifestyle pickup won't be seeing much of heavy use, so went ahead with the integrated bed? Or like how the tailgate is carried over, they just chopped off the roof?

Other than monocoque pickups, the GMC Avalanche was one of the few BoF pickup trucks that had an integrated load bed. Unlike their pickup trucks, the Avalanche was a pickup version of the Suburban/Yukon. The rear section of the cabin could be opened so as to make the cab and load bed as one single load area. So they had the roll bar like structure for the lost structural rigidity. So guess, Force would have designed it for normal usage and not overloading/loadbearing scenarios.

It would be a dream come true if TATA re-enters the BoF product segment. But with their current strategy and lack of big in-house engines, fear it would stay a dream.

[amtak]

We all are missing one importing thing here. If you observe closely, this pick-up has night guiding lights which are fixed on military vehicles. Look closely and you will be able to spot them; It is possible that Force is testing this not for us, but for Army use. They need a troop carrier with good loading bay for carrying supplies from one base to another or for patrolling duties.

[GTO]

Damn, that is such a handsome pickup truck . The Gurkha is damn good-looking and so amenable to modifications & different body styles.

Originally Posted by amtak

If you observe closely, this pick-up has night guiding lights which are fixed on military vehicles. Look closely and you will be able to spot them; It is possible that Force is testing this not for us, but for Army use.

Wow! Some observation. Thanks for sharing. Yeah, it is definitely targeted toward the army and / or exports, as pickup trucks suffer minimal demand in India. That being said, even if they side-sell a product to Indian customers that is developed for the army / exports, it still matters because the Force Gurkha is such a low-volume product. Every additional sale counts.

[Nilesh5417]

Originally Posted by condor

Looking at the rear-view, I think they could have placed the rear indicators in the bumpers and widened the load-bay door. A slim LED indicators in the present position could also have been done, but may be perceived as too narrow to be seen (though wont be that bad in actual use).

Would army get alloys? Not sure since Ive mostly seen regular sturdy steel wheels.

[Bibendum90949]

Originally Posted by amtak

If you observe closely, this pick-up has night guiding lights which are fixed on military vehicles.

Those are specifically called blackout driving lights.

[Black_Star]

Originally Posted by GTO

Wow! Some observation. Thanks for sharing. Yeah, it is definitely targeted toward the army and / or exports, as pickup trucks suffer minimal demand in India. That being said, even if they side-sell a product to Indian customers that is developed for the army / exports, it still matters because the Force Gurkha is such a low-volume product. Every additional sale counts.

Probably for export only, remember the Gurkha pickup truck that was shown in Indo Defence Expo and Forum:


Force is probably betting on that and wants to make some upgrades to the vehicle or they are getting some order. Either way its good that Force is finally making some headway in showcasing the Gurkha platform to the rest of the world.

[Dwerty1098]

I don't think the Gurkha will really create volumes for Force. The lower-end pickup market is ruled by the Bolero Camper and base variants of the Isuzu D-Max. Rather than this, Force should work on bringing the 5-door Gurkha soon - we've been waiting for several months!

Force should, IMHO, dodge the pickup truck market, for it is highly likely that this Gurkha pickup will go the way of the Scorpio Getaway, which would be suicidal for Force Motors. The Gurkha 5-door really can't come any sooner.

[amtak]

Originally Posted by Dwerty1098

Force should, IMHO, dodge the pickup truck market, for it is highly likely that this Gurkha pickup will go the way of the Scorpio Getaway, which would be suicidal for Force Motors. The Gurkha 5-door really can't come any sooner.

As funny as it may sound, Scoprio getaway sells really well in rural Australia and many other parts of the world. It is reliable and does the job of what it is supposed to be doing. Force Gurkha pickup with a Merc derived engine should be able to replicate that!

[shankar.balan]

Quoting from the Rushlane article.

Secondly as a pickup, the load bay is merged with the cabin. Don't you think it will cause a problem with the body structure though the chassis is the same?


This is a highly valid point. The Load Bay / Truck Bed is usually separate from the Cabin in most
Pickup trucks. This makes for better dynamics and allows for better ‘flex’ under load.
The separate ‘bed’ can be seen right from the humble Bolero Maxx onwards all the way up the chain.
So I wonder why Force has not followed this.