Before you make your judgment, let me clear the air. Yes, the image is of a Mercedes Viano (also called as the V Class). For those who are in the dark, the Mercedes Viano is a 5 door van sold by Mercedes in international markets. It is available in six or seven seater combinations but can also be extended to eight seats. It is available in petrol and diesel engines with a manual or automatic gearbox.
The interesting part is that Mercedes India has no plans to launch the Viano in India as they believe that it may adversely impact the brand. So then why is this Viano being tested in India and more importantly why are the badges covered?
Could this be the Force MPV which is due next year?
If you would remember correctly, we brought you a story on Force Motors product plan till 2013. In that plan, Force Motors has reportedly made it clear that once it has the dealership network in place, it plans to launch an 8 seater MPV. Before the launch of the Force One, the company had inked a pact with Mercedes to procure engine and the platform for this MPV. All hints are pointing at the Mercedes Viano.
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I remember attending the press conference that was conducted by Force Motors to christen their new SUV –Force One. In that conference, Mr Prasan Firodia was asked about the number of units of Force One that he expects to sell by the end of 2011.
He bravely responded that it doesn’t matter if it sells 100 or 10,000, Force Motors has entered the passenger car segment with long term goals and they have a comprehensive product plan chalked up for the next 2 years.
So we caught up with the senior management of Force Motors to discuss their future product plans. Here is what we could dig:
Right now the Force One is launched with just one variant. But there are 3 variants already in the pipeline.
click through to read the plans
The passenger edition on the Force Trump platform was spotted testing by IndianAutosBlog.com in Pune today. To be marketed as the Trump Trip, the mini van will lock horns at bus stops with the Tata Ace Magic and Mahindra Maxximo mini van. Technical specifications are not clear at this point, but the powertrain is more or less going to produce the same output.
The Trump 15 is powered by a single cylinder 600 cc indirect injection diesel engine producing 14hp @ 3,400rpm and 37Nm @ 2000-2200 RPM. The Trump Trip is a very useful creation for society as it shares the burden of public transport. Due to budget and roadway constraints governments cannot have an endless fleet of buses to serve our saturated cities.
The Trump works out as a perfect share-taxi over short distances. From an engineering perspective, is safer than a three wheeler and as it has a roof. It does not expose passengers completely to the outside elements making it a more comfortable choice. The operator usually waits at every stop to pickup 6-8 people and transports them to the next stop.
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What a big day it was for the Force Motors as they took the wraps of their first Premium passenger vehicle – Force One. In its testing phase, the Force one was the most photogenic SUV in India. We even got you spy pics from the northern mountains where this SUV was put to test on high altitudes.
Photograph – A proud Force Motors Team with their baby
The Force One signifies an important step in Force Motors’s future. It is the first step taken by a commercial vehicle manufacturer into the passenger car segment. Previously, Mahindra&Mahindra and Tata Motors have taken this step and now they are red-lining the Indian Automotive scene.
So will Force One establish Force Motors as an important manufacturer in India? Let’s find out.
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This morning, Force Motors launched the One, the company’s foray into the Personal Vehicle space. Packed with technology from Mercedes Benz, the company has a lot riding on the One as it plans another SUV after a family MPV for late 2012. It has 22 dealers retailing vehicles from September 1st with 28 more by the end of 2011.
Click through to read the press release. You can go through the complete technical specifications and features of the One by visiting our earlier post.
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Force Motors has launched the One SUV at 10.65 lakhs (ex-showroom, Mumbai). The Force One is powered by a Mercedes-sourced 2.2-liter diesel engine that outputs 141PS and 320Nm of torque. The electronics have been validated by Mercedes Benz and the suspension has been tuned by UK-based Lotus Engineering.
Here are some live images of the vehicle from the launch. Remember to keep coming back to check this page for additional images.
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Force Motors has finally launched the much awaited One SUV in Mumbai and it is priced 10.65 lakhs (ex-showroom Mumbai). There is only one variant that will be on sale. Vehicles will reach dealer showrooms on September 1st. Force has set a sales target of 4,000 vehicles in the first year.
Force Motors is positioning the One in the premium segment. The company is not interested in developing small cars or sedans. Only people carriers will continue rolling out of Force’s factories. The tagline for the SUV is “Be the Force.”
There are 22 dealers for the SUV now. An additional 22 will be added by next year.
Force Motors One fast facts, features.
- 141 PS/320 Nm with BS4 and BS5 compatibility
- Can run on deserts and high altitudes with the same zest
- Can start in -21 degrees centigrade
- Has a Dual mass flywheel
- Has a low friction gearbox high torque density
- Chassis gets CED coating, first in its class (finding out more)
- Handling also tested on British speedways; Lotus Engineering helped tune the suspension for India
- Rack and pinion steering
- 30 stage welding process for body
- Three row seating
- Armrest with cup holders in the second row
- Third row folds to generate more boot space
- Electronics validated by Mercedes Benz
- On board computer monitors 15 process
- The spare wheel is fitted under the body
- A leather wrapped steering is present
- Audio controls are placed on the steering wheel
- Each rows has dual Aircon vent
- 4×4 version hits the market by March 2012
- ABS variant will come after the 4X4
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IAB is coming to you live from the Force Motors One launch in Mumbai. We have uploaded many batches of spyshots and could win the award for the best pre-launch coverage for this SUV. The vehicle’s branding and some important specifications were shown to the media at an earlier press conference a few weeks ago.
Stalwarts in the automotive industry such as Lotus and Daimler have played important roles in Force’s first foray into the personal car segment.
Stay tuned as we get you all the information on the Force One with images and video.
