The Pune based Force Motors Ltd., is betting big on their ‘Traveller-26’, which they claim to be the world’s largest monocoque van!
What you see here are the spyshots of this 26 seater being tested in Pune, sent by our reader Prabhakaran Sivasamy. The Traveler-26 was unveiled at the New Delhi Auto Expo earlier this year.
Home grown:
The new van is designed and developed completely in-house by the company’s R&D centre and the monocoque is built entirely from high strength, pressed steel components and is welded under a robotic environment.
See more images of the Force Traveller-26 from the Auto Expo unveiling
Performance & Technology:
It uses Daimler licensed engine and gearbox. The power and torque figures of the BS-IV compliant, turbocharged (with intercooler), common-rail engine are a healthy 130 PS and 295 Nm respectively. The sticker in the fender below the badge says “CR-V15”, leading us to speculate that the motor might be one of those Mercs’ five cylinder unit with three valves each.
Also the Traveller-26 boasts many best in category features such as, Cathodic Electro-Deposition (CED) painting, lowest floor height for easy ingress, lowest centre of gravity for good stability and handling, disc brakes on all wheels with electronic brake-pad wear indicator and highest power to weight ratio.
FML will market the Traveller-26 for the hospitality sector, schools, Corporates, BPOs and for tour and travel fleet operators.
Currently the smaller Traveller enjoys success in the IT sector and also is the most preferred vehicle for ambulances. The tech-laden Traveller-26 will help FML consolidate its market share and is expected to be launched soon.
