Force Motors Launches the Futuristic Urbania Van in India at Rs. 28.99 Lakh
Force Motors has commenced the production of its next-generation shared mobility platform Urbania, developed at an investment of Rs 1,000 crore. The company showcased the new shared mobility platform which was code-named T1N, at the Auto Expo in 2020. Force Motor had postponed the launch due to the pandemic. Force Motors has announced that the pan India ex-showroom prices of the URBANIA start from Rs. 28.99 lakhs. The medium wheel base (3615mm) variant seating 13 excluding driver is priced at Rs. 28.99 lakhs whereas the long wheel base (4400mm) variant seating 17 excluding driver is priced at Rs. 31.25 lakhs and the short wheel base (3350mm) variant seating 10 excluding driver is priced at Rs. 29.50 lakhs. The first lot of vehicles will be shipped to dealerships in the coming fortnight.
Urbania is built on the Force Motors next generation modular monocoque panel van platform and comes with unheard safety features in its segment like hill hold assist, ESP, ABS, EBD, ETDC and all wheel ventilated disc brakes, driver and co-driver airbag. Urbania also is the first in the country to achieve compliance with crash, rollover and pedestrian safety regulations.
Driver comfort and convenience features include carlike steering wheel, tilt and telescopic adjustable steering column, ergonomically designed cockpit, dashboard mounted gear lever, 7-inch touchscreen with built-in Bluetooth and camera inputs, engine start-stop and reverse park assistance.
Passengers comfort features on the Urbania include independent front suspension with transverse springs that will give plush drive comfort, best-in-segment cabin space, individual AC vents, reclining seats, sealed panoramic windows and individual reading lamps and USB ports. The Urbania utilizes a 2-box construction where the engine is placed entirely outside this ensures that the NVH in passenger compartment is at its best. Other passenger comforts include Powering Force Motors Urbania is a Mercedes-derived FM 2.6 CR ED TCIC diesel engine that makes 115 hp of max power and 350 Nm of peak torque. Urbania will be available in short, medium and long wheelbase variants, with passenger capacity of 10, 13 and 17 persons, respectively. Apart from functional updates, Urbania also gets many class leading features that include a bull-inspired muscular look, first in segment projector lamps and LED DRLs and LED signature tail lamps with light guide technology.
Force Motors also plans to sell the Urbania in select Global markets across the Middle East, ASEAN, Africa and South America. Force Motors has invested more than Rs 1000 crore for development of the ground up modular monocoque van and building the new state-of-the art manufacturing facilities.
Force Motors is the flagship of the company group headed by Dr Abhay Firodia which has 8 manufacturing units across the country and a 10,000-strong workforce. Since 1997, when Daimler AG took the decision to manufacture Mercedes cars in India, every engine fitted there has been produced at Force Motors. To date, it has supplied over 145,000 engines and 130,000 axles to Mercedes Benz India for which it has a state-of-the-art dedicated facility in Chakan, Pune. In 2015, BMW assigned Force Motors to produce and test the engines for all cars and SUVs to be made in India.
A state-of-the-art factory has been built to the exacting standards of BMW by Force Motors in Chennai close to their factory. Till date Force Motors has supplied over 66,000 engines to BMW. In March 2018, Force Motors has entered into a joint-venture agreement with Rolls-Royce Power Systems AG to manufacture in India and supply worldwide, the 10 and 12cylinder, Series 1600 engines (545hp to 1050hp) for power generation and under floor rail applications.
