There will be a new force on local roads when Pune-based Force Motors from India launches its off-road, midi-bus, panel van and ambulance range through local distributor ETG Logistics.
Midibus Traveller by Force Motors
The planned product portfolio includes the Gurkha 4x4 Off-roader, the Traveller midi-bus, and panel van and ambulance. Furthermore, the Kargo King pick-up range. While the Gurkha targets serious off-roading enthusiasts, who require independently controlled differential locks to get out of tricky situations, the expectation is for the Traveller midi-bus to be popular with mini and midi-bus taxi operators on the market for affordable people mover solutions.
Gurkha 4x4
In India, Force Motors has a reputation for modern and dependable technology, partly due to its technological cooperation with brands such as Mercedes-Benz. Homologation of the vehicles for the South African market is underway, and the first batch will hit South African roads in the first quarter of 2023.
Addressing attendees at the signing of the distribution agreement, Prasan Firodia, Managing Director, Force Motors, said: “We are extremely pleased to have ETG Logistics as our distributor for South Africa and neighbouring countries. We believe we have the right products to cater to different customer segments, and with this association look forward to emerging as a strong brand in multiple African markets.”
Force Kargo King
Kalpesh Patel, the CEO of ETG Logistics Business, says: “We are excited to partner with Force Motors, and South Africa will be the first market to which we will offer mobility solutions for customers in the people moving, freight and SUV spaces. We are also in advanced discussions for the East African markets. Kenya will be the first country we target in that region, including the longer-term possibility of an assembly plant. Mobility solution for the wildlife-tourism sector is another focal point that we are exploring.”
Force Motors is a fully vertically integrated automobile company with expertise in the design, development, and manufacturing of the full range of automotive components, aggregates, vehicles and agricultural tractors. It has nine manufacturing units across the country and a ten-thousand-strong workforce.
Traveller Panel Van from Force Motors
Since 1997, when Daimler AG decided to manufacture Mercedes cars in India, the engines fitted to their cars made in India are produced at Force Motors, which supplied more than 143 000 engines and 128 000 axles to Mercedes Benz India.
In 2015, BMW assigned Force Motors to produce and test the engines for all cars and SUVs manufactured in India from a factory in Chennai and more than 66 000 engines have been supplied to BMW.
Force Traveller
In March 2018, Force Motors entered into a joint-venture agreement with Rolls-Royce Power Systems AG to manufacture in India and roll out the ten and 12-cylinder MTU Series 1600 engines for power generation and under-floor rail applications globally.
