 "Eicher Polaris to expand Multix distribution network")
Eicher Polaris Pvt Ltd, a 50:50 joint-venture (JV) between Eicher Motors and US-based Polaris Industries Inc is looking to beef up the distribution network of Multix, touted as the country's first personal utility vehicle.
"From a network of 30 dealers now, we aim to ramp up to 100 dealers in 24 months. We are done with the pilot run of Multix and are now looking at national roll out of the vehicle in the second phase. The pilot runs were conducted in 30 locations across eight states," said Radhesh C Verma, chief executive officer, Eicher Polaris Pvt Ltd.
He said that the company has invested Rs 350 crore on developing Multix over a period of three years. The amount has been pumped in on product development, research & development, a dedicated manufacturing facility at Jaipur and setting up a dealership network.
The manufacturing unit at Jaipur has an installed capacity of 60,000 units. The capacity can be enhanced to 120,000 units a year.
"Multix is designed especially for the India market. It is targeted at the individual businessmen — be they retailers, whole sellers, farmers, contractors or any service provider. This segment size is estimated at 58 million, which represents nearly 40 per cent of the total Indian workforce", he added.
Asked if Multix would also be exported to other countries, Verma said, the possibility can be explored once the vehicle is stabilised in the Indian market.
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Multix aims to be an all-purpose utility vehicle for transporting people as well as cargo. Two variants are on offer, the AX+, which does not have doorways, and the MX, which does. It is powered by a Greaves four-stroke single cylinder engine generating 9.92 PS of power and 27.1 Nm of torque, mated to a four speed manual transmission.
The vehicle can be adapted to create large storage space of 1,918 litre. It is equipped with a power-take-off point, which can generate power of up to three Kw, something the company has christened as an X-Port. It features a high ground clearance of 225 mm and an independent suspension set-up to tackle bad roads.
Multix has undergone over 18,00,000 km equivalent of rigorous testing for off-road reliability, safety and durability.