Polaris in collaboration with Eicher Motors has been working on a new LCV that was spied recently and will spawn load carrier and passenger ferrying versions.
Polaris Industries, best known for their ATVs in India collaborated with Eicher Motors (Royal Enfield owners) earlier this year to develop a new Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) that will be targeted at the agricultural industry including farmers, bakers and the likes. Confirming that the development is on the right track, a test mule was recently spotted running on North Indian highways giving the first glimpse of the upcoming LCV that will make its debut in the second half of this year.
To be called as the ‘Flexituff’, the LCV will be available in a twin-cab pickup variant as well as a passenger hauling variant. Spotted in the passenger carrying variant, the Polaris-Eicher Flexituff uses a tubular frame construction while the use of composite materials will ensure an overall lightweight. The spy shot had a tall body maximising interior space and was reportedly a tad bit longer than the Tata Magic Iris, a popular LCV it will be competing with. In terms of aesthetics, Polaris will be keeping things simple with emphasis on interior design and carrying capacity.
Coming to the powerplant, a 600cc diesel engine sourced from Greaves Cotton is said to power the Flexituff with power being sent to the rear wheels. Polaris and Eicher are said to tune this engine to return a fuel efficiency figure of around 25 km/l. The automaker will be producing the new LCV in two variants at the Jaipur facility and has an initial sales target of 10,000-12,000 units per annum. The total investment is said to be around Rs. 250 crores for this project.
Spy Pictures Source – IndianAutosBlog.com