The much served Maruti Suzuki Gypsy of Indian Army will soon stop serving the forces. The Indian Army has decided to procure 30,000 units of Tata Safari Storme over the next few years to replace the entire fleet of Maruti Gypsy.
The Gypsy has served Indian Armed Forces for over 25 years now. The major drawback of Gypsy is it doesn’t have a Diesel engine.
The Army has selected the Tata Safari Storme from the two shortlisted SUVs. The another one is the Mahindra Scorpio. The Safari Storme was zeroed in due to a lower bid by Tata Motors.
The two vehicles have been shortlisted after having conducted rigorous technical tests on a set of vehicles. These tests were conducted in various environments, which put to test various attributes of the vehicles in challenging conditions.
The Army have reportedly placed an initial order of 3,198 vehicles with Tata Motors. This will be Tata Motors’ second important deal with our Army in 2016. The company earlier bagged a ₹1,300 crore order for supplying high-mobility military trucks to the army.
History Of Gypsy:
The Gypsy was inducted into the Army in 1991. It has proved its mantle by successfully playing varied roles.
The Maruti Gypsy has been the most potent choice given its driveability across varied terrains, low cost of ownership and sturdy build.
The Gypsy has won many hearts due to its great off-road capabilities, low cost of maintenance and high reliability.
However, a low fuel efficiency and less petrol filling stations in remote areas like high altitudes have proven to be quite a drawback.
Criteria For Choosing Safari Storme:
The Safari Storme has a Diesel engine that’s not very fuel-thirsty.
It has a 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo Diesel that pumps out 154 BHP and 400 Nm. It comes paired to a 6-speed manual transmission. It also offers a shift-on-fly 4×4 system from Borg Warner.
Tata is yet to announce the details of the Army-spec Storme. However, it’s likely to get panniers, auxiliary lights and some more additions. It is also likely to get extra structural reinforcements.
Conclusion:
More than 30,000 Gipsies currently being used by the Armed Forces will be phased out and replaced by the Safari Storme over the next few years. The Gypsy will still be available for civilian use and can be booked at an authorised Maruti Suzuki dealership by paying the entire cost of the vehicle. Currently, the Gypsy retails for roughly Rs. 7.5 Lakh.
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