Force Motors, the manufacturer better known for its vans in the country, entered the SUV market in 2011 with the launch of Force One in August 2011. Almost five years down the line, the company is struggling to make its presence felt in the segment. Latest report indicates Force Motors is on verge of quitting the SUV segment.
Autocar Professional reports the company currently manufactures very small quantities of Force One at its Pithampur facility in Madhya Pradesh. Production is expected to be completely halted in some months. Despite Force's wide network in the country, Force One received lukewarm response from buyers right from its launch. The SUV was launched for Rs 10.65 lakh. Force Motors added the more economical EX model at Rs 8.99 lakh and the fully-loaded SX version for Rs 11.99 lakh to the line-up in 2013. However, these models didn't help boost sales. Force Motors managed to sell only 3,008 units of the vehicle from November 2011 to January 2016. The SUV found only 13 takers in January 2016.
Through the may company scale down its SUV business, its utility vehicle section will continue with the Gurkha. Force Gurkha is one of the most sought-after models among off-road enthusiast. The Autocar Professional report says the company is currently working on a new version of the Gurkha, which will be based on a new platform. The launch can be expected to take place soon.
