Force Motors, India's largest van maker is upping its game in the segment with a next generation product Urbania. The Urbania was revealed to the select set of dealers on Nov 21 as part of the pre-launch activity.
Force Motors has already commenced the production of Urbania and the first lot of vans will be hitting the dealerships within the next fortnight.
Force Motors has also announced the pan India ex-showroom prices of the Urbania models. The medium wheel base (3,615mm) variant seating 13 people plus driver is priced at Rs 28.99 lakh. The long wheel base (4,400mm) variant with seating capacity of 17 people plus driver is priced at Rs 31.25 lakh. The third and short wheel base (3,350mm) variant 10-seater plus driver is priced at Rs 29.50 lakh.
The people's carrier has been developed with an investment of Rs 1,000 crore, says Force Motors. Urbania, which is codenamed T1N, is India’s first fully ground-up, modular monocoque panel van platform in the country.
This van was first showcased at the Auto Expo 2020 but on account of the Covid pandemic and its cascading effect, the launch was delayed. Select dealer principles from India and abroad were invited for a plant visit and were given a chance to test ride the Van.
Next Gen Product
The next generation shared mobility platform has been developed with global aspirations. It is design protected for plying in select markets of Middle East, Africa, ASEAN and South America where the van is expected to offer high value proposition vis-a-vis premium products from Europe, Far East and the USA.
The Urbania is the first vehicle in this category offering crash and rollover compliance with air bags for driver and co-driver even though current Indian legislation does not mandate them. In addition, it comes with large, ventilated disc brakes on all four wheels with ESP, ABS, EBD and ETDC offering segment leading safety features for its passengers. It provides independent front suspension with transverse springs for superior passenger ride and handling characteristics, claims the company.
The vehicle comes with passenger vehicle features like day running DRLs, projector head lamps and signature tail lamps using light guide technology.
It has an ergonomically designed cockpit with a carlike steering wheel with tilt and telescopic adjustable steering column and is the first in its segment to offer all wheel disc brakes and ESP, ABS, EBD and ETDC, added the company in a statement.
The Force Motors team working on the development of Urbania extensively consulted with leading technology specialists, domain experts across the globe, particularly from Italy, Spain, UK, Germany, Japan, and USA to help improve, refine and validate this platform made in India. Force wanted the incoming product to match international performance expectations.
The Urbania platform has been designed with a two-box construction keeping the engine fully outside ensuring least NVH in the passenger compartment. For the first time in this segment independent front suspension with transverse springs has been offered, giving it best in class ride quality.
The Van is powered by the proven Mercedes derived 115 hp, BS6 compliant, Common Rail Diesel engine, offering peak torque of 350 Nm over a wide range starting from 1,400 to 2,200 rpm.