Hindustan Motors Ltd. (HM) launched VEER, a 0.8-tonne (800 kg) small commercial vehicle (SCV) here today, kick-starting the company’s plans to introduce more vehicles in the current financial year. Notably, the company’s Chairman, Mr. C K Birla, had announced the imminent launch of a slew of new vehicles at HM’s annual general meeting held here on August 4.
“We have honoured our commitment by launching VEER. More new vehicles will follow suit. These will come both from our Uttarpara plant in West Bengal, where we manufacture the iconic Ambassador and other vehicles, and our Chennai facility where we build the Mitsubishi range of vehicles. Our bouquet of offerings is set to expand at a fast pace due to our reinforced emphasis on new product development,” stated Mr. Manoj Jha, HM’s Managing Director, after unveiling the new vehicle.
The robust VEER is built on the tried and tested Ambassador platform, incorporating changes in transmission and suspension systems required for a sturdy load carrier. The vehicle is available in both diesel (BS III) and CNG (BS IV) versions and in two models – VEER and VEER LX. While VEER has a separate load tray, VEER LX’s load tray is seamlessly integrated with the front cabin.
The uniqueness of VEER lies in the fact that it also offers the comfort of a car. In fact, the three-seat bench provided in the front cabin offers distinctly superior comfort level compared to other vehicles in this segment. In view of its Ambassador lineage, VEER will obviously enjoy the traditional benefits of low cost maintenance and easy availability of spare parts. The vehicle is also available as a drive-away chassis (DAC) with front cabin.
Initially available in marshall cream and stack brown colours, Veer diesel’s inaugural price for the month of August 2011 is pegged at Rs. 3.30 lakh ex-showroom Kolkata.
