Force Motors invests Rs 250 crore to be BS VI-ready, bullish on new Gurkha to take on Mahindra Thar

Automotive industry players, big or small, have just two years to prepare their products to meet the BS VI deadline of April 2020. At utility vehicle maker Force Motors, Rs 250 crore is being invested to develop and validate technologies that will enable each of its vehicle to meet the stringent BS VI emission norms.

"Our BS VI engines are already on the test beds. We have invested huge sums of money. We have added a lot of people on the BS VI programmes. We are confident, we will be ready in time," Prasan Firodia, MD, Force Motors, tells Autocar Professional.

The company has also invested in creating a dedicated team for developing electric vehicles, the first of which could be ready for launch in a couple of years.

Force Motors enjoys a leadership position in the passenger van market with its Traveller portfolio. In the passenger vehicle segment, it plays in the rural and semi-urban markets with its Trax utility vehicles. Force Motors made an attempt to tap the growing SUV segment with the Force One but couldn't sustain presence in the highly competitive personal vehicle market. However, it is not giving up on the Gurkha, which also falls in the personal vehicle segment as a serious off-roader.

The modern version of the Gurkha has been in the market since 2013. With disposable incomes on the rise, and along with it growing outdoor lifestyle of customers, some OEMs like Mahindra & Mahindra, Force Motors and Isuzu are trying to adventure lovers with 4x4 products. The Gurkha hasn't been a big hit, but with the revamped version launched last year, Force Motors is bullish about the model's prospects now.

"Basically, the vehicle was good for the objective it was created for. It was a hardcore off-roader. But then we realised that people don't just want a real hardcore off-roader. So, we have made it a good balance between off-roading and on-road performance, in terms of stability, suspension. Therefore we created a complete new suspension, a complete new chassis and a new driveline. With that it caters to the best of both worlds," says Firodia.

So, will the new Gurkha, available in two variants be able to take on the popular off-roader Mahindra Thar? "In terms of its core capability? 100 percent," says Firodia confidently. However, he admits that the Gurkha doesn't enjoy the brand image of the Thar. "(That) is what we have to work on," he says.

Firodia's confidence could also based on the feedback received from the few hundred customers of the new Gurkha, which he says is very positive. Currently, only around 25 dealerships sell the Gurkha. To reach a wider customer base, the Gurkha will tap the company's commercial vehicle network now, to grow "substantially".

Also read: Force Motors inks JV with MTU Friedrichshafen for power generation engines