Indian Army orders 4000 units of the Maruti Suzuki Gypsy

Maruti Suzuki has bagged an order for 4000 units of the Gypsy SUV from the Indian Army. While the Gypsy has a very selective buyer base in the passenger vehicle market, the army has been a major consumer for the SUV. This is the single largest order Maruti has received for the Gypsy. While the Gypsy starts at a price of around Rs 5.5 Lakh in the domestic market, the army gets vehicles at a different rate. The order was finalized through a central government tender & the amount paid will not be disclosed.

Starting with 1,500 units in 1991, Maruti Suzuki has sold around 31,000 units of the Gypsy to the Indian Army. Maruti Suzuki has produced around 1.4 lakh units of the Gypsy for India. 22% of the production has reportedly been for the armed forces. Over the past two months, Maruti has delivered 2,100 units from the order with the remainder expected to be dispatched over the next 4-5 months.

The Gypsy is powered by a 1.3-litre petrol engine that makes 80 bhp & 103 Nm of torque. The army specific Gypsy is said to be equipped with black out lights, tow hooks and special mounts for weapons.