Mahindra & Mahindra has received another batch of orders for the Scorpio Classic by the Indian Army. This time the Army has put in a request of 1,850 units for Scorpio Classic. Earlier in January this year, Mahindra received an order of 1,470 units for the older generation Scorpio.
It seems as if the Army has taken a liking to the Scorpio which received a comprehensive update along with a new suffix– ‘Classic’, last year. The Indian Army’s fleet currently comprises a wide range of rugged SUVs including Maruti Gypsy, Tata Safari Storme, Force Gurkha, and Tata Xenon.
Mahindra Scorpio Classic for Army: Different from civilian version
It should be noted that the Scorpio Classic dispatched to the Indian Army isn’t identical to the civilian version sold by Mahindra in the market. For starters, the Army-spec Scorpio wears the organisation’s proprietary green shade, not available to any other vehicles in the country. Also, unlike the civilian version featuring ‘Twin Peaks’ logo, the military version of Scorpio gets the older logo.
While the civilian version of Scorpio Classic doesn’t offer a 4×4 drivetrain, the Army-spec variant is most likely to offer this feature. It means the Scorpio Classic for the Army will be powered by a 2.2-litre mHawk diesel engine that kicks out 140 bhp and 320 Nm of peak torque. The one sold in the market gets the same engine in a detuned guise developing 130 bhp and 300 Nm of torque.
Mahindra & Indian Army
The Indian Army is a frequent customer of Mahindra & Mahindra. The automaker oversees its defence-related operations through its subsidiary Mahindra Defense Systems (MDS). Besides Scorpio, Mahindra also designed and developed Armado for the Indian Army. The Armoured Light Specialist Vehicle (ALSV) offers ballistic protection up to B7, Stanag Level II and was inducted into the Army recently.