The Mahindra Gio when it was launched as a cargo carrier met with some serious disapproval for its aesthetics, or the lack of them. The reason for this is quite obvious. What Mahindra had done was to use their three wheeler Alfa platform and convert it into a four wheeled one and this they did by “attaching” the front grille onto the rounded front of the three wheeler. The front wheels also looked oddball thanks to the fact that they also looked like add ons. But the vehicle did well since it was competent in doing what was expected of it. Who looks at aesthetics while buying commercial vehicles? Now Mahindra has launched the passenger version of the Gio in Hyderabad. Prior to this it had launched this in some other cities of India. The passenger version of the Gio is again the passenger version of the Alfa with two wheels and a Mahindra grille instead of one wheel and no grille. We take this as a positive development because autorickshaw drivers all across the country and especially so in Hyderabad drive very badly. This owing to the handle bar and one wheel in the front in combination with a narrow body in the front that widens at the rear. There have been so many instances when the auto drivers have tried to squeeze into a gap since the front seemed to go in only to find that the rest of the auto does not go in to that gap. In the process they have happily put dents and scratches on other vehicles. The handle bar, single front wheel and small turning circle has also meant that autos cut across lanes when you least expect them to and create traffic chaos. We at Riot Engine welcome four wheeler with steering wheels as a passenger transport. The aesthetics of the Gio be damned its a four wheeler and we like it. Now Tata please launch that Magic Iris and help the country rid itself of the scourge called the autorickshaw.
Picture Courtesy:BS Motoring.com
