[da_lowrider]

Originally Posted by Mpower

If they did then ICML would be TOm TOmming this in their ads to sell their product. This seems more like how Cherry copied the Daewoo Matiz

Well they have updated it as 100bhp on their website now.

[GTO]

Quoting a post of mine from another thread :

Originally Posted by GTO

Hi Ram

Anyone who looks at the Rhino from the side will know what its purpose is = To fill the void left by the Qualis. It looks almost identical in the side profile!! But why really did the Qualis succeed? It was, and looked, outdated. People picked up the Qualis purely for function......powerful brand, indisputed reliability, long-term service and practicality. It had none of the niggling problems of its Indian competitors (overheating etc.) and nor their nasty surprises (bad brakes, unpredictable handling etc.).

I dont know how Sonalika intends to fill in the Qualis gap since it cant really boast of Toyota's brand value, reliability or practicality. The only press coverage I have seen so far of the Rhino has been "paid and special-feature" test-drives in the Autocars and Overdrives of the world. And at Rs. 7 lac prices, we already have proven and well-engineered products like the Tavera.

Do your research carefully. Understand the pro's and con's of the product versus its competition. And the manufacturers strategy (short & long-term). IMHO, the Rhino can sell only on price.....and even there, it has the Sumo & Bolero to contend with.

[rahul_intlad]

Even though the Rhino is indigenously developed one thing odd I noticed is the fuel filler door is on the opposite side i.e. the driver side while in case of most indianised models it is on the the passenger side:

Here is a pic of the rhino:


And here is the qualis:


If the rhino was made using the qualis dies would this have happened.

[autopsyche]

Well, i know the company's working very upclose, let me correct the fact that they are not using the same dye as the qualis.

Yes you can say that the design is "insipred" by the qualis.

[directinjection]

Originally Posted by autopsyche

Well, i know the company's working very upclose, let me correct the fact that they are not using the same dye as the qualis.

Yes you can say that the design is "insipred" by the qualis.

Very true!
Also, if you examine the body panels very closely, you'll find that though they are very similar, they aren't identical.
The similarity between these two resembles the Palio-Indica similarity, although the reasons differ.

[da_lowrider]

There's an other thing as well,

Rhino dimensions:

Overall Height - 1885 mm
Overall Length - 4440 mm
Overall Width - 1645 mm
Ground Clearance - 180 mm
Kerb Weight 1633 kg
Wheelbase - 2,541 mm

Qualis dimensions:

Overall Height - 1880 mm
Overall Length - 4425 mm
Overall Width - 1655 mm
Ground Clearance - 170 mm
Kerb Weight 1505 kg
Wheelbase - 2,500 mm

The Qualis has always faced criticism for lack of leg-room in the middle row, not sure whether an increment of 41mm will really change much though.

[mail4ajo]

Rhino is sourcing engines from Rover. Does Rover have any SUV that match the looks? I checked a few old models and there seems to be a match. Perhaps they would have got the dies from them as well.

[iraghava]

Originally Posted by mail4ajo

Rhino is sourcing engines from Rover. Does Rover have any SUV that match the looks? I checked a few old models and there seems to be a match. Perhaps they would have got the dies from them as well.

Rover doesn't exist anymore, it was sold to multiple companies, mostly Chinese. And in any case Rover themselves didn't have an SUV from which the dies could have been taken.

[mail4ajo]

Originally Posted by iraghava

Rover doesn't exist anymore, it was sold to multiple companies, mostly Chinese. And in any case Rover themselves didn't have an SUV from which the dies could have been taken.

Yes, a chinese company Nanjiing or something (not sure) has taken over Rover. But their engine division still exists and thats where the rhino's heart is coming from.

Rhino was supposed to be tagged Rover Rhino, but due to some reason stuck to Rhino.
Doesnt this look vaguely similar to Rhino:

[theMAG]

Well, speak of the devil. I saw 2 Rhinos today in different parts of BLR - one was silver and the other black. The very first Rhinos I've seen personally.

[Mayavi]

Originally Posted by mail4ajo

Yes, a chinese company Nanjiing or something (not sure) has taken over Rover. But their engine division still exists and thats where the rhino's heart is coming from.

From BS test drive

The HM-Avtec engine that featured in the initial lot has now been retired for a direct injection-turbocharged diesel, co-developed with MG Rover. MG Rover? Yes, the British firm may have gone bust now, but that was a temporary hiccup in ICML's ambitions. They continued with the same MG Rover engineers who had setup their own consultancies to ensure that there would be a new engine in the Rx.

Link to the complete article here.
It screams 'lifafa' but then has some good info too.

Btw, isn't that picture that of a Land Rover and not MG Rover? Both are different companies.

[mail4ajo]

Originally Posted by Mayavi

Btw, isn't that picture that of a Land Rover and not MG Rover? Both are different companies.

Yes, both are different. Actually MG Rover owned Land Rover. I think they sold to Ford when BMW took hold of the company.

[iraghava]

Originally Posted by mail4ajo

Yes, both are different. Actually MG Rover owned Land Rover. I think they sold to Ford when BMW took hold of the company.

Yes, Rover, Mini & LR got sold to BMW which after running them for a few years & developing cars like the new Rover 75 etc. realised this was going nowhere. So they sold off LR to Ford for a small fortune and Rover to the Phoenix Consortium for a grand sum of 10 GBP! But, more importantly they retained Mini for themselves. And I think we all know what a success they turned it around into.

And there is no way that the Rhino could have used dies from Land Rover.

[speedmiester]

Today I saw the Rhino, it was parked in my company. Basically from the transport agency which caters to our company.
Had a word with the driver. His opinion is that it is very much similar to qualis in appearance, but doesn't match the ride quality and engine responsiveness.

[srishiva]

The head of ICML has said that he wants to introduce a very good vehicle at some auto show like Geneva to make people serious about his company.