When it was launched in 1985, the sleek but still rugged lines of the Gypsy made it an instant hit, although that popularity never really translated into massive sales figures.
The numbers and the ubiquity came when law-enforcement agencies around the country and the armed forces began adding the sports utility vehicle (SUV), originally based on the Suzuki Jimny, to their fleets. The more agile, petrol-driven Gypsy was preferred over the slower, diesel-driven vehicles that had until then proliferated within the ranks of the police and the services.
But the sales of the Gypsy to the armed forces may dry up, according to five people familiar with the matter who declined to be identified.
Will this be the end of the road for the vehicle, given that its biggest customer, the Indian Army, wants a sturdier vehicle with more modern features?
When the Indian Army sought bids for the 800kg general service vehicle category, Maruti didn’t participate as it doesn’t have one that meets the requirements. Maruti’s Gypsy sells in the 500kg general service vehicle category.
Rivals such as Tata Motors Ltd, Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd and Nissan Motor Co. have bid for the contract for 30,000 vehicles valued at Rs.3,000 crore, according to the people cited above.
These people said that once an 800kg vehicle is selected, it will start replacing the Gypsy.
Features being sought include airbags, anti-lock braking systems, air-conditioning, power windows, five doors and central locking—specifications absent in the Gypsy, which pretty much still looks the way it did in 1985.
“This is a part of the fleet modernization process of the army and the changes have been sought as Gypsy has become obsolete with time,” said one of the people cited above. “The army changed the requirements in 2010 and they (Maruti Suzuki) did not participate for the 800kg class 4x4 general service vehicle tender as Gypsy could not meet the above mentioned new requirements.”
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