The Eicher Polaris Multix (or Multix) was a
personal utility vehicle
A utility vehicle is a vehicle, generally motorized, that is designed to carry out a specific task with more efficacy than a passenger vehicle. It sometimes refers to a small truck with low sides.
Types of utility vehicles
Military light ...
manufactured by
Eicher Motors and Polaris India (the Indian arm of
Polaris Inc.
Polaris Inc. is an American automotive manufacturer of RZR, motorcycles, snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, and neighborhood electric vehicles headquartered in Medina, Minnesota, United States. Polaris was founded in Roseau, Minnesota, where i ...
). The vehicle was announced in June 2015, and the first vehicle was delivered on 26 August 2015. Multix is promoted by its manufacturer as "India's first personal utility vehicle", able to be used as a
people carrier
Minivan (sometimes called simply as van) is a North American car classification for vehicles designed to transport passengers in the rear seating row(s), with reconfigurable seats in two or three rows. The equivalent classification in Europe is ...
, a
cargo carrier
A cargo ship or freighter is a merchant ship that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year, handling the bulk of international trade. Cargo ships are usu ...
and also a
power generator.
History
In July 2012, Eicher Motors and Polaris Inc.
Polaris Inc. is an American automotive manufacturer of RZR, motorcycles, snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, and neighborhood electric vehicles headquartered in Medina, Minnesota, United States. Polaris was founded in Roseau, Minnesota, where i ...
formed a 50:50 joint venture
A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acces ...
(JV) to manufacture vehicles in India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
.[ This JV was formed with an initial investment of and the new company was named "Eicher Polaris Pvt. Ltd." Thereafter, Eicher Motors and Polaris Industries combined their ]research and development
Research and development (R&D or R+D), known in Europe as research and technological development (RTD), is the set of innovative activities undertaken by corporations or governments in developing new services or products, and improving existi ...
facilities in their new manufacturing plant in Kukas, Jaipur
Jaipur (; Hindi Language, Hindi: ''Jayapura''), formerly Jeypore, is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Rajasthan. , the city had a pop ...
, Rajasthan
Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...
, India.
In May 2018, Eicher and Polaris announced they were closing down the Indian-joint venture, and discontinuing the Multix.
Design
The Multix was designed with the aim of being used for both family and business purposes, and has been called a "3-in-1" vehicle. Its cargo capacity is 400 litres.[ Multix also generates 3 ]kilowatts
The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James Wa ...
of electricity
Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described ...
and can thus be used as a power generator as well.[
]
Variants
The Multix has two variants, the AX+ and the MX. With the exception of doors (and the overall weight of the vehicle), both the variants are identical. AX+ has open doorways, whilst MX has doors. The curb weight
Vehicle weight is a measurement of wheeled motor vehicles; either an actual measured weight of the vehicle under defined conditions or a gross weight rating for its weight carrying capacity.
Curb or kerb weight
Curb weight (U.S. English) or kerb ...
of the MX is 100 kg more than that of AX+.
Availability
As of October 2015, 30 JV dealerships had been set up to sell Multix models, in Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...
, Bihar
Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West Be ...
, Gujarat
Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...
, Maharashtra
Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...
, Rajasthan
Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...
, Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
and Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...
. Eicher Polaris Pvt. Ltd plans to have dealerships throughout India by mid-2017.[
Four colors were available as of June 2015.][
The first Multix vehicle was sold in August 2015, to Ganesh Narayan Choudhary.] The company expects to sell 60,000 vehicles per year.[
]
Financing
Eicher Polaris Pvt. Ltd has contracted with Cholamandalam Investment, and as of August 2015 was in negotiations with a number of other financial institutions, to provide financing to customers wanting to buy a Multix AX+ or MX.
Reception
As a new entrant in the Indian automotive market, the Eicher Motors-Polaris India partnership is expected to face challenges in establishing its brand. G. Balachandar of ''The Hindu
''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...
'' referred to the Multix as able to convert from "a small car with space for family of 5 oa small truck with storage space" and said the innovative vehicle would "create its own segment of buyers." Another article in ''The Hindu''s "Business Line" praised the Multix's "smooth ride" and ability to "handl rough terrain", and suggested it could "replace other mobility options" such as trucks, tractors and traditional automobiles.[ Santanu Choudhury, blogging for '']The Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'', noted that the Multix was both small enough to give buyers the maneuverability needed for narrow or congested streets, and equipped to handle adverse road conditions including severe ruts and minor flooding. He also praised the possibilities opened up by the Multix's power generation capability, suggesting it could be used "to light up homes, power tools or even run a DJ console."[
]
Specifications
''Multix AX+''
*Seating capacity: 5 (including driver)[
*Displacement: 511 cm3][
*Max Engine power: 9.78 ]Bhp
BHP Group Limited (formerly known as BHP Billiton) is an Australian multinational mining, metals, natural gas petroleum public company that is headquartered in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
The Broken Hill Proprietary Company was founded ...
*Max Torque: 27.1 Nm @ 1,400 rpm
Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines.
Standards
ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...
[
*Wheel base: 2,005 mm]
*Length: 3,235 mm
*Width: 1,585 mm
*Height: 1,856 mm
*Curb weight: 650 kg
*Engine: Greaves four-stroke single-cylinder BS III
*Fuel: Diesel
Diesel may refer to:
* Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression
* Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines
* Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engin ...
[
*Ground clearance: 225 mm][
*Cargo capacity: 1,918 liters][
*Transmission: four-speed manual][
]
See also
* Eicher Motors
*Polaris Inc.
Polaris Inc. is an American automotive manufacturer of RZR, motorcycles, snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, and neighborhood electric vehicles headquartered in Medina, Minnesota, United States. Polaris was founded in Roseau, Minnesota, where i ...
External links
Official page
References
{{Cars in India
Minivans
Cars of India
Joint ventures
Cars introduced in 2015
Eicher Motors