One must not be aware, but there are over 35,000 units of the Maruti Gypsy in the Indian Army. This SUV does duties as a light troop carrier, patrolling vehicle, and even combat applications in certain conditions. But the Gypsy is already in the history books. In fact, its production has been stopped by Maruti Suzuki, and hence The Indian Army wants a replacement.
They recently ordered a fleet of Tata Safari Storme as well as Mahindra Scorpio Classic. Now as per the Indian Army, they are still looking for the perfect replacement for their beloved Gypsy. Maruti Jimny SUV could make the perfect fit to replace the Gypsy for the Indian Army. A new report, claims that Maruti Suzuki is in contact with top Military officials to induct the Jimny into the Indian Army.
The armed forces love Gypsy for various reasons. Firstly, Gypsy is extremely light built and barely weighs over 1 tonne. The physical dimension is very narrow with a hair over 4 m in length.
It gets a 1.3L NA 4-cylinder 16V petrol engine mated to a 5-speed gearbox and a 4X4 transfer case. The physical dimensions make Gypsy the perfect companion for the Military to conduct operations. The power output from the motor is low. But because of its light weight which is next to nothing (in comparison), the performance on offer was more than adequate. The removable soft top also gave away the potential of zero blindspots too.
The new Jimny holds up to most of Gypsy’s attributes. It is under 4m in length, weighs around 1200 kg, and is a narrow SUV at just 1645 mm. In addition, Jimny has a more powerful engine than Gypsy and gets the convenience of 5 doors too.
Also Read: 2023 Maruti Suzuki Jimny 5-door with AllGrip Pro launched in India.