Tata Motors' shipments of Indian Army's Safari Storme 4X4 spotted

Tuhin Guha Published: May 22, 2018, 01:38 PM IST

Images have appeared on the internet of the Indian Army-spec Tata Safari Storme 4X4 being shipped to a delivery location.

The exterior of the Army-spec Safari Storme is painted in matte green. All the chrome bits of the standard car have also been painted over, including the wheels and badging. Additions include a rear trailer hook, a jerry can/canister mount on the rear fenders, a bonnet-mounted antenna and special blacked-out lamps on the front and the rear bumpers. All these changes have been made for the sake of camouflage and to better conceal the car in wartime situations. The interiors seem similar to the dual tone set-up of the civilian version.

There are minimal mechanical changes to the car with better underbody protection and heavy-duty suspension being the only additions. The 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbocharged diesel motor (154PS/400Nm) is carried over, possibly with some changes to better suit the army's needs. The army-spec cars come with a six-speed manual and a four-wheel drive system with a low range box.

This Army-spec Safari Storme will be an upgrade from the Army's earlier fleet of Gypsys by providing better payload capacity while still matching that car's off-road credentials. Tata Motors had won the contract to replace the armed forces' ageing fleet of Maruti Gypsys last year and will supply 3,192 units of the Storme in the coming years. The car passes the Army's GS800 (General Service 800) vehicle classification which calls for a hard top vehicle with a minimum 800 kg payload and air-conditioning.