HM’s RTV sees new demand

With the Uttar Pradesh government ensuring easy availability of compressed natural gas, Hindustan Motors expects to see growing demand for its Road Trusted Vehicle (RTV). With CNG-run RTVs plying on Delhi roads, HM is keen to replicate the scenario in UP.

Launched in 1998, essentially for travel in rural India, the vehicle (then known as a Rural Transport Vehicle) is now being targeted at urban areas. It was almost written off due to its dowdy looks but now has been given a new ‘Cosmo’ look, a broader windscreen and cosmetically enhanced exterior. CNG has given the RTV new sales and following the Supreme Court’s ruling on polluting vehicles, the response to the people-carrier has picked up. In the Indian capital, the RTV has become a preferred mode of transportation for office-goers.

Recently, HM has received a go-ahead from the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) for the RTV to be used for its recently-introduced Metro Link feeder services. Metro users find it easier to access the services, being able to comfortably board the RTV link service at assigned spaces.

DMRC has already issued Letters of Intent to individual operators to ply on 16 designated routes to which 30 more routes are soon to be added. With an increase in the number of passengers who seek a convenient public transport system, the Metro Rail service may require more RTVs to ply on such link routes.

According to sources, the opening up of DMRC feeder routes could translate into sale of at least 100 RTVs for HM in the next few months. Besides, fresh demand from UP for CNG RTVs could also see increased sales. The RTV is currently being manufactured at HM’s Pithampur plant which gets its engine from Avtec, an HM company. The vehicle is powered by 1.8-litre petrol and 2-litre diesel engines. At present, around 1000 units are sold per annum, the major markets being Delhi (CNG-run RTVs), Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Madhya Pradesh.