Force Motors is a well-known van and bus manufacturer in India – They also make engines, powertrains and axles for Mercedes and BMW
Force Motors are finding it difficult to make a mark in the PV segment, likely because they are not a mainstream car manufacturer. They’re known to make buses, vans, people movers and they also have a single cab commercial pickup truck. Since it is difficult to target a mainstream audience, Force Motors’ strategy seems to be targeting a niche market.
Of course, Force has targeted the lifestyle off-roading segment and launched Gurkha SUV in India. But crashing Force Motors’ party, Mahindra launched all-new Thar before Gurkha and being a superior product, captivated this niche market completely. To stress on practicality, Force wants to launch 5-door Gurkha before 5-door Thar and Jimny.
But to properly make a mark in this niche segment, Force is bombarding it with options. You want a 3-door SUV with 4 seater layout, or a 5-door SUV with a 6-seater layout, a 5-door SUV with a 9-seater layout, or a long boy 5-door SUV with a bonkers 13-seater layout? Force will have your back in the near future.
Force Motors Gurkha Pickup Truck
Just stuffing more people in a vehicle is not a lifestyle vehicle’s point. So, what other vehicle is more defining the lifestyle segment than a pickup truck? In this light, if we look at the recently spotted 13-seater Gurkha based on Trax Cruiser, and remove the third row to accommodate a flatbed, we have in our hands, a Mercedes-Benz G-Class 6X6 inspired Force Gurkha pickup truck.
The 6X6 had 6 wheels and was much larger than the Trax Cruiser. So, in terms of dimensions, Trax Cruiser based pickup will be close to G-Class Landaulet. It is not a stretch for Force Motors to make a pickup truck out of Trax Cruiser as it is based on a ladder frame and Force already makes flat beds for its Kargo King commercial single cab pickup.
The offroad hardware is already developed for 13-seater Gurkha and all of them can be easily coupled with this new pickup. What we’re basically saying is Force Motors already has all the components it needs to make a Gurkha Pickup truck, cutting down on development costs and time. Rendering images in this post are not commissioned by Force Motors. These are created digitally by Pratyush Rout.
Are Pickup Trucks Viable?
Heck yeah! Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Pickup trucks are the most versatile type of vehicle in the world. Don’t fight me. India had the beautiful Tata Xenon XT which is a Cross-Country Rally Champion in May 2021 held in South America. But most car buyers in India don’t even know what Xenon is. Some are probably thinking that I made a typo when mentioning Nexon, which is the highest-selling SUV.
Why are pickup trucks not a thing in India? It is because of us. We didn’t buy them when they were actually on sale. We had the Bolero Camper Gold, Scorpio Getaway and vastly superior Xenon XT for around Rs. 8-11 lakhs. But instead, we chose Marutis and Hyundais because of our “kitna deti hai” attitude. Now we have V-Cross and Hilux which are extremely overpriced. You might have realised by now that I am a sucker for pickup trucks.
Force Gurkha Pickup truck will get the same 2.6L Mercedes-Benz-derived engine along with a 4X4 system and mechanically locking front and rear differentials. If Force does make Gurkha Pickup a reality, it brings a new life to this lifestyle off-roader genre. Because a pickup based on the 13-seater Gurkha looks a lot better than the SUV itself. So much so that I would buy one myself (If my boss gives me a raise, of course).