Spied - Upcoming Force MPV (1996 Mercedes Vito) caught on video

04/10/2013 - 09:01 Spy pictures, Force Motors Anjan Ravi

The upcoming Force MPV has been spied testing once again. This video was recorded by Team BHP member Joe M, and the test mule was spotted on the Mumbai-Pune expressway.

As our regular readers know, the Force MPV, which does not have an official name yet, is nothing but the Mercedes Vito that was introduced in 1996! Codenamed W638, Daimler sold this generation of the Vito from 1996 to 2003.

[Head to YouTube if you're unable to view the video above.]

Force Motors will be bringing this van from the dead when they launch it here in India in 2015. Mr. Prasan Firodia, Managing Director of Force Motors, told Indian Autos Blog in an exclusive interview that the MPV would be launched in the first quarter of 2015. Firodia acknowledged that earlier plans to launch the vehicle in 2014 have been shelved due to the general slowdown in the auto industry.

Force MPV spied — The Force MPV is nothing but the 1996 Mercedes Vito, as this spy picture from reader Mr. Rishikesh Mavinkurve, shows.

However, as sources have informed us, the company has already received the tooling kit from Daimler to commence production of the MPV. It is also believed that Force Motors will continue to use the Mercedes-sourced 2.2-liter FMTECH engine, which is already found powering the Force One SUV.

Force Motors is looking to price the MPV in the premium end of the segment. We got the impression that the MPV would cost more than the Force One SUV. While there would be various seating configurations available, the Force MPV would be able to accommodate a maximum of 9 occupants.