IAB Exclusive: Force Motors product plan till 2013

I remember attending the press conference that was conducted by Force Motors to christen their new SUV –Force One. In that conference, Mr Prasan Firodia was asked about the number of units of Force One that he expects to sell by the end of 2011.

He bravely responded that it doesn’t matter if it sells 100 or 10,000, Force Motors has entered the passenger car segment with long term goals and they have a comprehensive product plan chalked up for the next 2 years.

So we caught up with the senior management of Force Motors to discuss their future product plans. Here is what we could dig:

Right now the Force One is launched with just one variant. But there are 3 variants already in the pipeline.

• By the end of 2011, Force Motors will launch a variant that will have ABS and Airbags. This will be priced higher than the current variant.
• Along with that, Force Motors also has plans to launch a stripped out variant of Force One which will not have cruise control and JVC music system. This will be priced cheaper than the current 10.65L price tag.
• By May 2011 2012, Force Motors will be ready with the 4x4 version of Force One. This will have on-the-fly selectable all wheel drive option. This vehicle was displayed at the launch but we were not allowed to sit in it. A little bit of sneaking around and we found that the 4x4 version will not have a low ratio gearbox. It will definitely have cosmetic distinguishing factors such as a bull guard and some decals.

Currently the dealership network is restricted to 22 dealers. By May 2012, that dealership network will be expanded to 44 dealerships.

Once the dealership network is in place, Force Motors will get ready for their next big launch – A one of its kind 8 seater MPV. Force Motors has already started working on this new MPV and have signed an agreement with Daimler for its engine requirements.

This MPV will compete with the Toyota Innova but its USP will be that it can seat more people than the Innova. Whether this will be a luxury product or a taxi market product is still unknown. The whole year of 2012, Force Motors will be focused on the Force One and this mysterious new MPV.

Come May 2013, Force Motors will replace the Force One with a successor which will incorporate all the learnings that the company has gained by being in the passenger car segment for 2 years. This product will feature more in-house technologies and the localization level will also be very high.

At no point in its growth chart will Force Motors focus on hatchbacks, sedans or ULCs. The company wants to stick to people carriers because it believes that its strength lies in making rugged vehicles for the masses.

This product plan very much reminds us of Mahindra which started off as a UV manufacturer and is now making waves in the world automotive market. We wish Force Motors the very best in their undertakings.

What do you guys think of the Force Motors product plan?