Indian Army ended contract with Maruti Suzuki for supply of new cars to choose Tata Safari Storme previously. Army has now placed fresh orders for the Gypsy
Maruti Suzuki announced the end of production of the ageing Gypsy in the Indian market recently. It officially stopped selling the vehicle from 1st April 2019. The move came after the demand for Maruti Suzuki Gypsy went down and the Army, which was the primary buyer of the Gypsy, chose the Tata Safari Storme instead.
However, the Army has reportedly placed an order for 3,051 new units of the Gypsy, and Maruti Suzuki has agreed to the request too. This means that the production of the Gypsy will start once again, but this time, it will not be on sale for the private car buyers. The new minimum safety features are in place and soon the BNVSAP regulations will also become mandatory for the vehicles, but Maruti Suzuki will not update the Gypsy.
Instead, it will only make the Gypsy as per the Army’s requirement. It should be noted that new rules and regulations do not apply to Army vehicles. It is only for private car buyers in the Indian market. It should be noted that the Indian Army placed an order of 3,192 units of Tata Safari Storme after testing the vehicle in the rough terrains.
Tata also started to deliver the cars to the Army, and the new Safari Storme has already been spotted doing the Army duties. It is not known if Tata has delivered all the vehicles that were ordered by the Army.
The Indian Army wanted to replace the Gypsy due to the fuel requirements. The Maruti Suzuki Gypsy only offers a petrol engine, and since all other vehicles run by Army are on diesel, the troops need to carry different fuel for the Gypsy. However, the lightweight Gypsy offer a lot of advantages and is extremely agile when it comes to the proper off-roading.
Also, the Maruti Suzuki Gypsy is an open-top car that offers a clear view to the occupants while the Tata Safari Storme gets a hardtop roof. The Gypsy is more compact than the Safari Storme, which makes it easier to drive in the narrow roads.