Force Motors To Soon Launch India’s First 7 Door MUV

Have you seen a Force Trax Toofan Classic on the road? This contraption with a 3,050 mm wheelbase is actually an MUV that’s quite popular in semi-urban areas of the country, hauling van loads of people. How many, you may ask? Well, 12 is the officially advertised capacity of the Toofan Classic MUV, but instances of 20 people being squeezed into this vehicle is all too common on Indian roads.

Force Motors wants to build a longer and larger MUV, with 7 Doors. Yes, that’s right, the upcoming Trax based people mover from Force Motors could well be India’s first limousine MUV. Seating capacity? 15 adults should be regulation stuff for this extended wheelbase behemoth that traces its origins to the legendary Mercedes Benz Gelandewagen (G-Wagen).

This extended wheelbase version of the Trax Toofan Classic MUV was spotted testing near Pune, the city whose industrial suburb of Chinchwad hosts the headquarters and a factory of Force Motors. The MUV with 7 doors and a extended wheelbase is code-named Project Giraffe, and is likely to continue operating with the 2.6 liter-4 cylinder Daimler derived turbo diesel engine with 60 Bhp-158 Nm outputs.

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The length of the vehicle is expected to be extended by about 400 mm and gauging by the uncamouflaged spyshots, the Force Trax Giraffe could be just months away from a launch. The MUV is squarely aimed at the commercial vehicle market, a space where function firmly precedes form. A sub-10 lakh rupee starting price tag could be on the cards considering that the Trax Toofan Classic sells for well under 8 lakh rupees.

Technically, the Force Trax Giraffe has no competition, as its sheer heft puts it head and shoulders above the likes of the Mahindra Bolero and the Tata Sumo, two other strong players in the country’s people mover space. Armed with a tough, no-frills ladder frame chassis, copious ground clearance and a reliable turbo diesel engine, the Force Trax Giraffe will go into the annals of automotive history as yet another unique vehicle tailor made for India.

Via AutocarPro