Force Motors confirms South Africa touchdown in 2023

Following the success of Mahindra in South Africa, rival Indian marque Force Motors has announced its entry into local market form the first quarter of next year.

One of India’s oldest and best-known automakers, founded in 1958, the Pune-based firm will have its products distributed by logistics giant Export Trading Group (ETG) as part of a joint venture signed this week.

“We are extremely pleased to have on board ETG Logistics as our distributor for South Africa and neighboring countries,” Force Motors Managing Director Prasan Firodia said in a joint statement.

“We believe that we have the right products to cater to different customer segments and with this association look forward to emerging as a strong brand in multiple African markets”.

Blast from the past

Involved through similar partnerships with Mercedes-Benz since 1997 and BMW from 2015, the initial line-up of models will consist of the Traveller midi-bus and panel van, the Kargo King workhorse bakkie and arguably its most iconic model, the off-road focused Gurkha SUV that entered production in 2008.

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A vehicle that unsurprisingly appears similar to the Mercedes-Benz G-Class, but bigger and with the same door count as a Suzuki Jimny, the Gurkha, which debuted in its current fourth generation in October last year, derives motivation from a Mercedes-Benz supplied 2.6-litre turbodiesel engine that can its trace its roots back to the early 1970s.

Known internally as the OM 616, which has undergone significant changes since being used by Force Motors, the unit produces 67kW/250Nm delivered to all four corners via a five-speed manual gearbox.

Unlike the Jimny, the Gurkha sports a diff-lock on each axle, a claimed wading depth of 700 mm, and standard inclusion of a snorkel.

Fitted with an independent double wishbone and coil spring suspension at the front and multi-link coil spring at the rear, the Gurkha measures 4 116 mm in overall length, with its wheelbase rated at 2 400 mm, height at 2 075 mm and width at 1 812 mm.

Notable specs

In India, notable specification items include 16-inch steel wheels, a four-speaker sound system, dual front airbags, rear parking sensors, a tyre pressure monitoring system, electric windows, LED headlights and a seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system with dual USB ports, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

On the commercial side, both the Traveller midi and panel van come with the same 2.6-litre engine, albeit retuned to 85kW/350Nm. A five-speed manual gearbox delivers the amount of twist to the rear axle.

Dimensionally, both measure 5 135 mm long and 1 900 mm wide, with the wheelbase stretching between 3 050 mm and the claimed height 2 550 mm. The claimed payload is 1 600 kg. For its part, the Midi Bus seats up to 14 and retains the 200 mm ground clearance.

Completing the range, the Kargo King, aimed at the Mahindra Bolero Maxitruck, is devoid of most features and strangely, also serves as the lowest powered of the trio.

Unlike its rival’s low pressure 2.5-litre turbodiesel engine, the Kargo Road utilises the bizarre combination of a large displacement 2.0-litre oil-burner with three-cylinders connected to a five-speed manual gearbox. Driving the rear wheels, the setup produces 50kW/175Nm.

Measuring 5 060 mm, the Kargo King has a wheelbase of 3 000 mm, height of 2 105 mm, width of 1 790 mm and ground clearance of 210 mm. According to Force Motors, the Kargo King will carry 1 250 kg.

“We are very excited to partner with Force Motors and South Africa will be the first market to which we will offer mobility solutions for customers in the people moving, freight and SUV spaces,” ETG CEO Kalpesh Patel said in the mentioned statement.

Details regarding final price and spec will be announced closer to the local launch date next year.

More information on the Gurkha can be viewed here.