Seeking to hark back on its most successful product ever, Pune-based Force Motors launched a new avatar of the Tempo Traveller, the Traveller 26, at a city hotel here on Monday. As indicated by its name, the vehicle is a 26-seater and is loaded with a slew of improvisations from its predecessors.
Powered by a common rail engine made under license from Daimler AG, Germany, the Traveller 26 incorporates a dual mass flywheel technology, which its makers claim, is the first LCV of its kind. It also comes with a Monocoque construction.
Speaking on the occasion, COO and president (sales and marketing) of Force Motors N K Rattan, said that the organisation aims to consolidate its position in the MCV (medium commercial vehicle) market segment. “The number of vehicles in this category touched 22,000 units last year.” He stressed that the company has a 50 per cent market share in its respective segment.
Company executive Mukesh Malpe added: “While designing, we took into consideration the requirements of our customers, passengers and operators. While passengers want comfort, operators look for factors such as durability and economy of operation.”
The Traveller 26 comes in three variants –the standard, the school (a 38-seater) and the deluxe (which includes overhead air-conditioning equipment).
While the first two variants will be out in the market soon, the deluxe variant will be released by January next. The three variants will cost around `11.07 lakh, `11.24 lakh and `14.03 lakh respectively.
As for its sales projections, Rattan said that the organisation aims to sell around 1,000 units in the first year, followed by around 4,000 in the second year. He added that the number of after-sales service centres in the nation would be ramped up to 65, and the number of dealers to 223.
Force India, has also in its wings, a ` 1,000 crore expansion plan, according to which funds will be apportioned to the company’s personal vehicle sector, high-end vehicle and small commercial vehicle (SCV) manufacturing.
Later, addressing the media, he admitted the market performance of their SUV, Force One, has not met expectations; though he added that it proved to be a valuable learning experience for them. Rattan said that the company will bank on its strengths.