After soldiering on as one of the most trusted vehicles in the Indian Army for almost 30 years, the establishment has finally decided to replace the ageing fleet of Gypsy vehicles with the more advanced Tata Safari Storme 4x4 SUVs. Yeah, you heard it right. The Maruti Gypsy which was kept in production mainly to supply the Indian Army might see an eventual demise in India soon. The Gypsy which only saw two mechanical updates in its lifetime - one was when the 1-litre 4-cylinder (45 bhp) engine that was replaced with the 1.3-litre petrol motor (60 bhp), and later fuel-injection (power was bumped up to 80 bhp) was introduced in the same motor. The Safri Storme, on the other hand, from its 2.2-litre diesel motor, produces a healthy 148 bhp and 320 Nm of torque. While the Varicor 400 variants produce, 154 bhp and 400 Nm of peak torque. 
According to an Economic Times article, both Tata and Mahindra (Scorpio) presented a replacement plan to the Indian Army in a process that kicked off in the year 2013. Both the vehicles were said to have passed the rigorous testing done by the Army - which included high-altitude snow-bound regions to deserts and marshy lands. 
With the Tata group’s plan making better financial sense to the Army, the establishment has initially ordered 3,198 units of Safari Storme, and will gradually replace about 30,000 Maruti Gypsy vehicles that the Army currently has. These vehicles are extensively used to transport Army officers and troops in a variety of situations. 
The need for replacing the Maruti Gypsy is said to have come about by the Army’s quest for a vehicle which has more safety features, more power and that run on diesel, a fuel that is readily available, given the Army has a large fleet of diesel-powered trucks and heavy-duty vehicles. The Army always prefers to have a single type of vehicle across its unit and formations, as it would be easier on logistics. And given that the Maruti Gypsy was a bare-basics car which didn't even have air-conditioning and power-steering, the Safari Storme will come as a welcome relief to the brave soldiers who battle inhospitable environment on a daily basis.
Source: Economic Times
Image Courtesy: MotorBash.com
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JijoMalayil That's a welcome move, we feel good that system is changing with time. The demand for a new vehicle was there, highly appreciate this. -
But I feel Gypsy is one car where Maruti could have put in extra efforts to evolve with years like ABS, Airbags etc., The Indian army is synonymous with Gypsy!Comment
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JijoMalayil Isn't the Safari expensive to maintain and is heavier as well? I feel the army needs something light and agile that can move the troops efficiently. Mahindra Thar could have been a good option to consider, don't you think?Keep the rubber side down!Comment
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Gypsy the one of the best-looking SUV that has to say goodbye. MSIL has simply ignored this car. It could have been a best seller if MSIL had provided a Diesel motor 1.3ltr DDiS would have been perfect for the sturdy car and our soliders would have kept it. Tata safari is a good choice but XUV 500 is an even better alternative.Comment
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Sunil_kumar_bhat Yeah, Maruti should have put some effort to facelift the Gypsy both mechanically and by providing more creature comforts like an a/c and a power steering. But having said, Gypsy still was very effective vehicle off-road. But, I don't think the XUV500 would have been fit for the job. It's a soft-roader with only an AWD option. Mahindra Scorpio or Thar would have been better vehicles for the job in my opinion.Comment
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[QUOTE_NODE]"Originally posted by Praveen" JijoMalayilIsn't the Safari expensive to maintain and is heavier as well? I feel the army needs something light and agile that can move the troops efficiently. Mahindra Thar could have been a good option to consider, don't you think? [/QUOTE_NODE] Safari is a heavy vehicle, but maintenance costs are comparable to other SUVs in that price range. Plus the Indian Army would have got a deal for spare parts and other components at a lower price, as the order of vehicles will touch about 30,000 in a few years. But if you think of it, Mahindra Thar would have been a good option, as you mentioned. It's lighter, more effective off-road and does come with a/c and power steering. A hard top Mahindra Thar variant would have been ideal replace option to Gypsy, in my opinion. But the lack of any safety equipment like Airbags or ABS, could have been a reason for its omission.Comment
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JijoMalayil I don't think the Gypsy is going to be replaced entirely. In the Army, the Gypsy is also used in the peace locations to ferry officers, and a majority of the Gypsies are used for this. For this purpose the Gypsy was a very uncomfortable vehicle as other than the driver seat only the front passenger seat was comfortable. In order to overcome this, the rear seats were changed with front facing single bench seat in the rear for most of the officer's Gypsys. These vehicles never did much off roaring and were not expected to see war like conditions. Neither were they equipped to be loaded with LMGs or other weapons. They also had hardtops in most of these. I feel these are the Gypsys that are going to be replaced with the Safaris. The Gypsy's which are used in Hilly regions and those loaded with weapons would continue to do their duty as they can't be replaced with the Safari. Just think how would RD parade be without the Gypsy. Where would the officer stand on the Safari to salute the president. A major chunk of Gypsys will surely be replaced and its a sensible decision as in these duties, a Gypsy is not needed and also not suitable. However, I don't think the Army will replace the Gypsy's being used by the military patrols, at high altitude operations and the ones to be modified to hold weapons.I know a lot about cars, man. I can look at any car's headlights and tell you exactly which way it's coming.Comment
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JijoMalayil The Army uses the Gypsy as a Vehicle for Officers ..... As such the TATA Storme is better. ... the Gypsy will remain in service for a few more years ... then a new all terrain vehicle will come in!!!!Comment
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KPR The Gypsy is at the end of its cycle and it's development would not be cost effective ... the Army requires a multi purpose general duty vehicle which can also ferry Senior Officers ... The Gypsy requires an after market retro fit costing above Rs 1 to 2 Lakhs to fit for Staff Officers ... that must have been one big issue. The TATA Storme fits the bill ... It can easily get two trim levels ... Hard Top and Soft Top!!! Operation conditions would definately require a soft top version.Comment
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Arjun Well that's true but the Vehicle per second requires a major refit .... the Engine Steeing and Suspension is way too archaic to continue ... Also Emission Norms also apply to Army Vehicles and the present Gypsy King cannot be upgraded to Euro 6 standards.Comment
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Rajinder Verma It has been confirmed that other than Safari, the Xenon XT has also been ordered. The Xenon can do most of things that the Gypsy soft top could and its more capable and powerful. It looks like the Gypsy is going to become history along with other petrol powered vehicles like the Jonga that the army used. I know a lot about cars, man. I can look at any car's headlights and tell you exactly which way it's coming.Comment
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