Maruti Gypsy To Be Phased Out By Indian Army

We could be witnessing the end of life of one of the most popular off-roader models ever, the Maruti Gypsy. The Gypsy, introduced back in 1983, has been a favourite of adventures and enthusiasts, but the largest buyer of the SUV has always been the Indian Army and other Indian law enforcement agencies. The Indian Army has now decided to upgrade the minimum specifications required for its general service vehicles and the Gypsy, which has remained virtually unchanged for a long time, no longer meets the army's minimum requirements.

The Indian Army now requires its general service vehicles to be powered by turbo diesel engine, with a minimum power output of 120 HP and the Gypsy meanwhile sports a 1.3 Liter MPFI GB13 petrol motor. Other standard requirements include, dual airbags, air-con, power windows, a five door configuration, ABS and a payload of 800 kg. The Gypsy, sadly, does not fulfil any of the specifications. Moreover, if Maruti does decide to get back into the fray it will need to develop a completely new platform, which seems unlikely.

Tata Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra and Nissan are said to have started competing for the lucrative contract, which could bring in the winner a business of an estimated INR 3000 crores, for the supply of 30,000 units. The current contenders are expected to be Tata Motors' Sumo/Defender, Mahindra's Scorpio and Nissan's X-Trail. While vehicle evaluations are said to begin later this month, procurements will start only by 2017.