After making a bang in the Auto Rickshaw segment with the Petrol and CNG powered TVS King, TVS Motors was expected to unveil a diesel engine variant of the King by 2013. The specs and details about the diesel mill has been a clouded so far and now by reports from India’s prominent Engineering manufacturer, Greaves Cotton – The famous Greaves G435 Diesel unit will power the new diesel variant TVS KING DS.
Speaking on the new customer addition of TVS under Greaves, Mr. Sunil Pahilajani, MD & CEO, Greaves Cotton Limited, said,”Customers of TVS King DS will now have access to Greaves’ wide Aftermarket network, leading to increased customer delight. We look forward to building a long and enduring association with TVS Motor Company.”
The Diesel powered carriers have been the trump card for manufacturers in the Indian domestic market owing to their high economy compared to the Petrol and CNG counterparts as well as lower maintenance. True to this the Greaves G435 Diesel Unit is claimed to come with High Torque & Power output at low engine RPMs to make for better load lugging abilities and the unit is also said to be better refined so that the common complaint of High NVH levels in diesel units will not be an issue in the TVS King DS.
With Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu being the prime markets for this launch, TVS will look to improve its penetration in states like Punjab, Bihar, Rajasthan, Orissa, etc as well.
The manufacturer will try to make inroads in the high demand Diesel based passenger carrying segment. The manufacturer estimates the current market for diesel auto rickshaws to be around 30,000 units a month. TVS King DS will compete against Bajaj RE Diesel, Piaggio Ape xtra and Mahindra Alfa Passenger Diesel in the passenger Auto segment.
Do stay tuned to us for further details on engine specs and launch date announcements from TVS.
-by Saravana Priyan
