Maruti Suzuki pulls the plug on the Gypsy?

Mumbai: A leaked email from Maruti Suzuki to its dealerships confirms that it could be the end of the line for the venerable Gypsy. All dealer partners have been asked to not accept anymore bookings for it as the carmaker has stopped production of the petrol-powered SUV.

Maruti Suzuki has sent an email to its dealerships specifically asking it to not take any new bookings for the Gypsy SUV.

The only petrol-powered off-roader in the country in the Rs 6 lakh – Rs 10 lakh price bracket is no longer in production.

Losing the contract to provide 4×4 SUVs to the army along with upcoming safety and emissions norms has forced Maruti to take the decision.

Maruti does not seem to be in a hurry to replace the Gypsy with the all-new Jimny.

While we await an official word from the company, the off-roader continues to feature on the Maruti Arena website with prices pegged from Rs 6.25 lakh and Rs 6.40 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) for the soft-top and hard-top variants, respectively.

With its discontinuation, the market loses the only sub-Rs 10 lakh petrol-powered off-roader. The competition included the Mahindra Thar, which is set to receive a comprehensive update soon, and the Force Gurkha, which is set to receive a BSVI-compliant engine soon.

Maruti could have taken the effort to update the Gypsy to meet the stricter upcoming safety and emissions norms. If a square-faced SUV like the Force Gurkha can be safe enough, so can the Gypsy, right? Also, upgrading petrol engines to meet BSVI norms is cheaper than diesel ones. But low demand for the SUV, even though it is well sought after by enthusiasts, dealt the final nail in the coffin.

The death knell for the Gypsy first rang when the Indian Army announced it was choosing the Safari Storme as the preferred lightweight 4×4 vehicle of choice in April 2017, ending a decade long association with the mountain-goat-like Gypsy.

While we will be sad to see the capable Gypsy go, the circumstances for its demise are understandable. If you are a fan of lightweight, high-revving petrol-powered off-roaders – badger Maruti to bring the Jimny to India. Please!

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Kashmir Monitor staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)