As Tata Safari Storme will replace Maruti Suzuki Gypsy as a preferred army vehicle, Maruti Suzuki India Limited is reportedly going to pull the Gypsy out of production. Maruti Gypsy will be phased out during the current year while rumors are rife that an all new Jimny will be making its way into the country.
Maruti Suzuki Gypsy, now over 3 decades old, was the only petrol 4×4 on sale in the country. It was ideally suited for use by the Indian Army, paramilitary forces and by off roading enthusiasts. Now, following Indian Army showing more preference to the Safari Storme, this is about to change, bringing in a drastic fall in demand for the Gypsy.
By 2020, India will be shifting to BS6 compliance norms while new crash test regulations are also set to come into place during the current year. Since Maruti Suzuki Gypsy is built on an old platform and sports an older G-13b engine, a new platform and new BS6 compliant engine would be required. Considering high cost this will involve along with lower demand, the company has decided to phase out the Gypsy brand.
Maruti Suzuki Gypsy, currently on sale is BS 4 compliant. It is powered by a 1.3 litre engine offering 80 bhp power and 103 Nm torque. Power is sent to all four wheels via a 4 wheel drive system.
Maruti Gypsy for Indian ArmyIn comparison, Tata Safari Storme is powered by a 2.2 liter diesel engine offering 156 hp power and 400 Nm torque mated to a 6 speed manual transmission. It also gets an all wheel drive system with low ratio transfer thus ensuring excellent performance in bad weather and bad road conditions thus complying with Indian Army requirements.
