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Sonalika Rhino: India's Lamborghini?
August 27, 2007
Don't laugh yet, but I have discovered there are quite a few things in common between Sonalika and... hold your breath, Lamborghini! You see, both began their businesses as tractor manufacturers who ventured into car making.
Both sought out and got help from professionals to design and develop their own cars. And both have something to do with horns (Lamborghini = bull, Sonalika = rhino). But unlike Signor Ferrucio, who stormed out of Enzo Ferrari's office and set up Lamborghini cars out of spite, none of the Mittals who head Sonalika started International Cars and Motors Limited screaming out of a rival's office.
Instead they got down to business. With their experience in manufacturing and marketing the Sonalika brand of tractors, they discovered that there was a market for an affordable utility vehicle in the country - it would be a Toyota Qualis kind of a UV wearing a Tata Sumo price tag. They started work on their UV project back in 2002, and luckily for ICML, the revered Qualis was on its way out by December 2004.
The Sonalika Rhino, as it was branded, was officially launched at the Auto Expo last year, but they were already selling a few in the northern markets towards the end of 2005.
When I first saw it at the Auto Expo 2006, it was tucked away in a corner in the commercial vehicles section, away from the glamorous passenger car pavilions. Despite that, thousands of showgoers stopped to gawk at this machine which looked like a resurrected Qualis at Big Bazaar prices. Which also meant it had a discount of an engine and as for the interiors... Well, the less said the better.
In the last one year, the Rhino has been on sale in selected markets in the north and according to my estimates, would have sold a couple of thousand units. But in the meanwhile, ICML have launched the Rhino Rx - an improved version of the same MUV that addresses the niggles, expand its dealerships across the country and set it as a serious contender.
Text: Rohin Nagrani
Also read: Cars that will make you drool
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