->Starbug22: /* Badal */

2021-11-25T09:01:32Z

Badal

New page

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Sipani Automobiles Ltd.
| former_name = Sunrise Automotive Industries Ltd. (SAIL)
| logo =
| type = Automobile manufacturer
| fate = defunct
| foundation = 1973
| defunct = 2002
| location = [[Bangalore]], [[Karnataka]], India
| key_people =
| industry = [[Automotive]]
| products = [[Automobiles]]
| slogan =
| homepage =
}}

'''Sipani Automobiles Ltd.''' (known as SAIL [Sunrise Automotive Industries Ltd.] until 1978)<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://jalopnik.com/a-car-you-never-heard-of-the-sail-badal-1815356173|title=A Car You Never Heard Of: The SAIL Badal|last=Torchinsky|first=Jason|work=Jalopnik|access-date=2017-09-18|language=en-US}}</ref> was an [[Indian car]] manufacturer established in 1973, located in [[Bangalore]].<ref name=CBR>{{cite journal | ref = CBR | last = Bhaktavatsala Rao | first = C. | title = Structural Configurations and Strategic Investments: Indian Automobile Industry | journal = Economic and Political Weekly | number = 8/9 | volume = 28 | location = Mumbai, India | publisher = Sameeksha Trust | page = M22 | date = 1993-02-20 }}</ref> They mainly manufactured subcompact cars with fibreglass bodies. They also took over Auto Tractors Limited in 1991 and manufactured diesel engines and tractors in the old ATL factory in [[Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh]].<ref>{{cite journal | ref = tale | title = Divesting State Ownership: A Tale of Two Companies | journal = Economic and Political Weekly | number = 35 | volume = 29 | location = Mumbai, India | publisher = Sameeksha Trust | page = M-127 | last = Bajaj | first = J.L. | date = 1994-08-27 }}</ref>

Sipani's predecessor firm Sunrise Automotive Industries Ltd. (SAIL) was one of three companies to receive a very restrictive industrial license for automobile production in 1973. The license did not allow the prospective manufacturers to collaborate with foreign companies, or even to consult with them or import capital goods or components. [[Sanjay Gandhi]] was one of the other licensees, and even with extensive government support his [[Maruti Suzuki|Maruti]] project was unable to get off the ground until the government changed those conditions entirely.<ref name=Mstory>{{cite book | title = The Maruti Story | publisher = Collins Business | location = Noida, India | first1 = R. C. | last1 = Bhargava | author2 = Seetha | isbn = 9788172237806 | date = 2010 | page = 7 | ref = MStory }}</ref> Nothing much has ever been heard regarding the third licensee, Manubhai Thakkar.

==Badal==
In 1975, Sunrise Auto introduced the fibreglass-bodied '''Badal,''' India's first three-wheeled car. Production began in 1976.<ref name=Mstory/> It was a three-door model that some claim was inspired by the [[Reliant Robin]]. The Reliant link is tenuous at best, with the little vehicle being essentially an [[auto rickshaw]] clothed in passenger car bodywork. The bodywork had an air of station wagon about it although it had no rear gate, as the engine was in the rear, and was also unusual in having two doors on the left and a single door on the right (driver's) side. The engine was a 198 cc single-cylinder two-stroke engine of Italian origin, producing {{convert|10|PS|kW|1|abbr=on}}.<ref name=3WHL>{{cite web | url = http://www.3wheelers.com/badal.html | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20190217043556/http://www.3wheelers.com/badal.html | archivedate = 2019-02-17 | title = A-Z Tour: Badal | work = 3-wheelers.com | first = Elvis | last = Payne }}</ref> The chassis was a steel Y-frame, with the rear-mounted engine driving the rear wheels.

The Badal was not a success, and a four-wheeled version called "Badal 4" (sometimes referred to as the "Sail") replaced it in 1981.<ref name=3WHL/> The Badal 4 had entirely different, more rectangular bodywork and a front-mounted engine but may never have entered actual production and was soon superseded by the Dolphin. Sunrise built 179 cars in 1977, which increased to 331 in 1978.<ref name="AK80">{{cite book | title = Auto Katalog 1980 | editor = Freund, Klaus | publisher = [[:de:Motor Presse Stuttgart|Vereinigte Motor-Verlage GmbH & Co. KG]] | location = Stuttgart | page = 237 | ref = AK80 | volume = 23 | language = German | date = August 1979 }}</ref> This dropped to 104 in 1979 and 51 cars in 1980, followed by a mere 31 in 1981.<ref name="AK82">{{cite book | title = Auto Katalog 1982 | editor = Freund, Klaus | publisher = [[:de:Motor Presse Stuttgart|Vereinigte Motor-Verlage GmbH & Co. KG]] | location = Stuttgart | page = 251 | ref = AK82 | volume = 25 | language = German | date = August 1981 }}</ref><ref name="AK84">{{cite book | title = Auto Katalog 1984 | editor-last = Heitz | editor-first = Rudolf | publisher = [[:de:Motor Presse Stuttgart|Vereinigte Motor-Verlage GmbH & Co. KG]] | location = Stuttgart | page = 243 | volume = 27 | language = German | date = August 1983 }}</ref>

Reliant had no involvement with Sunrise Autos until they approached Reliant to produce Indian built variants of the Robin and Kitten after the failure of the Badal to sell.

==Dolphin==
[[File:1987 South India Rally - Vicky Chandok in Sipani Dolphin.jpg|thumb|A Sipani Dolphin being rallied in 1987]]
Sipani instead switched to building a copy of the British four-wheeled, three-door ''[[Reliant Kitten]]'' under the name ''Sipani Dolphin''. As with Sipani's earlier products, this too had fibreglass bodywork. This arrived in 1982, with Sipani stating that the first two years' production (6,000 cars) were already on order.<ref name=AC4459a>{{cite magazine | ref = VR1 | magazine = [[Autocar (magazine)|Autocar]] | title = Motoring for the millions | first = Vaughan | last = Robinson | publisher = IPC Business Press Ltd. | page = 22 | date = 1982-06-05 | volume = 156 | number = 4459 }}</ref> The standard version of the ''Dolphin'' was light blue in colour. Power is {{convert|38|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} from the all-alloy 848 cc four-cylinder engine, also of Reliant construction, and the car weighed in at {{convert|505|kg|lb|abbr=on}}.<ref name="AR88">{{citation | ref = AR88 | title = Automobil Revue 1988 | editor-last = Büschi | editor-first = Hans-Ulrich | publisher = Hallwag AG | location = Berne, Switzerland | language = German, French | page = 518 | volume = 83 | date = 3 March 1988 | isbn = 3-444-00469-9 }}</ref> Sipani also offered the two-door Estate bodywork as per the Kitten; this model was 2 centimetres longer and weighed in at {{convert|526|kg|lb|abbr=on}}.

Being light and comparably powerful by Indian standards of the day, the Dolphin became known as a fast car and saw some competition success in India. Sales, however, were less satisfying. Indian buyers were not fully confident in a plastic-bodied car and two-door cars have always had a very limited appeal in India. Although they had aimed to build 6,000 cars in two years, Sipani's total production in 1982 was 126 (this may have included a few Badals).<ref name="AK84"/> 1983 production was 302, followed by 930 cars in 1984.<ref name="AK86">{{cite book | title = Auto Katalog 1986 | publisher = [[:de:Motor Presse Stuttgart|Vereinigte Motor-Verlage GmbH & Co. KG]] | editor-last = Heitz | editor-first = Rudolf | language = de | location = Stuttgart | page = 252 | volume = 29 | date = 1985-08-01 | id = 81530/85001 }}</ref> Production amounted to 523 cars in 1985, which dropped to 55 cars in 1986 and 40 in 1987, the last year for the Dolphin.<ref name="BK88">{{citation | title = BilKatalogen 1988 ''(Swedish edition of German'' Auto Katalog'')'' | language = Swedish | editor-last = Dackevall | editor-first = Gunnar | publisher = PM Press AB | location = Stockholm, Sweden | page = 267 | id = 0284-365X | date = 1987 }}</ref><ref name="BK89">{{citation | title = BilKatalogen 1989 ''(Swedish edition of German'' Auto Katalog'')'' | language = Swedish | editor = Dackevall, Gunnar | publisher = PM Press AB | location = Stockholm, Sweden | page = 261 | id = 0284-365X | date = 1988 }}</ref>

==Montana==
[[File:Sipani Montana 5-door in Goa, 1994.jpg|thumb|left|Sipani Montana]]
Production of the ''Dolphin'' was eclipsed by the advent of the [[Maruti 800]]. The Dolphin was updated in 1987 with a new, more square design with a longer rear overhang, and renamed the '''Montana.'''<ref name=TAM90>{{Cite book | title = Quattroruote: Tutte le Auto del Mondo 1990 | editor = Mastrostefano, Raffaele | publisher = Editoriale Domus S.p.A | ref = TAM90 | date = 1990 | language = Italian | page = 915 | location = Milano }}</ref> This model was {{convert|3440|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} rather than {{convert|3327|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} of the Dolphin. To compete with the five-door Maruti 800, a five-door version of the Montana was also developed, a model which outsold the two-door handsomely. The Montana also has a proper rear gate rather than the swingback window of the Dolphin, although some cars were built without the rear gate. The five-door's body was longer yet, at {{convert|3480|mm|in|1|abbr=on}}, although the wheelbase still remained the same as on the original [[Reliant Kitten]]. The Montana used a number of parts from other manufacturers, including headlamps, turn signals, door handles, and windshield wipers from its competitor the Maruti 800.

In 1989 the Montana Diesel arrived, only available as a five-door.<ref name=TAM92>{{Cite book | title = Quattroruote: Tutte le Auto del Mondo 1992 | publisher = Editoriale Domus S.p.A | year = 1992 | ref = TAM92 | language = Italian | pages = 932–933 | location = Milano }}</ref> This was equipped with a 901 cc Indian-built [[Tractors in India#VST Tillers|VST Tillers]] three-cylinder ''K3C'' [[diesel engine]] of [[Mitsubishi]] origins; an engine originally intended for a mini-tractor.<ref name=greatkalam>{{cite web | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20080419010920/http://www.geocities.com/greatkalam/dolphin.htm | archivedate = 2008-04-19 | url = http://www.geocities.com/greatkalam/dolphin.htm | title = Sipani Dolphin, Montanna (''sic'') [India] | work = Hari's Motor World }}</ref> With {{convert|24|PS|kW|0|abbr=on}} at 2700 rpm on tap, top speed was claimed to be {{convert|80-85|km/h|mph|0|abbr=on}}.<ref name=TAM92/> The claimed output of the engine ranges between 20 and 25 hp depending on the source. The Montana Diesel was also heavier, at {{convert|585|kg|lb|abbr=on}}. The Montana sold better than the Dolphin, but its impact in the market was negligible at best, mainly selling in Bangalore and the surrounding area.<ref name=greatkalam/>

==D-1==
In 1990 Sipani presented a car called the '''Sipani D-1''' (sometimes referred to as the Montana D1), meant to enter production in early 1991.<ref name="AR91">{{citation | ref = AR91 | title = Automobil Revue 1991 | editor-last = Büschi | editor-first = Hans-Ulrich | publisher = Hallwag AG | location = Berne, Switzerland | language = German, French | page = 542 | volume = 86 | date = March 1991 | isbn = 3-444-00514-8 }}</ref> The D-1 had a body design borrowed from the second generation [[Daihatsu Charade]] sitting on a stretched and widened version of the original Kitten underpinnings. In the interest of simplifying parts supply and keeping development costs down, the D-1 used a variety of parts from Maruti as well as [[Mahindra & Mahindra|Mahindra]]. Except for the windshield, the glazing was borrowed from other cars (leading to rather thick door pillars) but most conspicuously the D-1 received the Maruti 800's taillights as well as its brakes. The D-1 is usually shown as a five-door hatchback in marketing material, but many cars appear to have been built without a rear gate.

The petrol engine remained the same Reliant unit, but most D1s sold had a 1.5-liter Auto Tractors Ltd. diesel tractor engine of [[British Motor Corporation|BMC]] origins (similar to the one used in the [[Hindustan Ambassador|Ambassador Diesel]]), producing {{convert|40|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} at 4000 rpm.<ref name=TAM92/> [[Tractors in India#ATL|Auto Tractors Limited]] of [[Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh|Pratapgarh]] had been bought up by Sipani in 1991, and since then focused on producing diesel engines rather than tractors.<ref>{{cite journal | ref = tale | title = Divesting State Ownership: A Tale of Two Companies | journal = Economic and Political Weekly | number = 35 | volume = 29 | location = Mumbai, India | publisher = Sameeksha Trust | page = M127 | last = Bajaj | first = J.L. | date = 1994-08-27 }}</ref> One source lists the engine as having a bore and stroke of {{convert|79.4x78|mm|in|2|abbr=on}}, indicating a displacement of 1545 cc, but these may have been preliminary figures.<ref name=TAM92/> A four-speed manual transmission was standard, although on paper a five-speed was optional.<ref name="AR91"/> These cars were very small players; in the fiscal year 1989–90 a mere 290 automobiles were built by Sipani,<ref name=CBR/> followed by a final 190 cars finished in 1991.<ref name="AR93">{{citation | ref = AR93 | title = Automobil Revue 1993 | editor-last = Büschi | editor-first = Hans-Ulrich | publisher = Hallwag AG | location = Berne, Switzerland | language = German, French | page = 585 | volume = 88 | date = 4 March 1993 | isbn = 3-444-00559-8 }}</ref> The Montana and D-1 both continued to be listed in various automobile directories until the mid-1990s but it is uncertain when the last one was built.

==Montego==
Sipani owner R. K. Sipani obtained a contract to assemble the [[Austin Montego|Rover Montego]] from [[Knock-down kit|CKD-kits]] in India, following the market liberalization. It was not a success, however, with 236 cars left the factory in 1995 and only 51 more finding buyers in the next fifteen months.<ref>{{cite web | work = Business | title = Britain's Rover eyes multi-utility vehicles segment in India | url = http://www.rediff.com/money/1999/dec/29cars.htm | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20170918155059/https://www.rediff.com/money/1999/dec/29cars.htm | publisher = Rediff.com | date = 1999-12-29 | archivedate = 2017-09-18 }}</ref>

==References==
* {{cite web | ref = mint | url = http://www.livemint.com/2009/03/22232524/Long-before-Tata-Motors-there.html | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20100620082125/http://www.livemint.com/2009/03/22232524/Long-before-Tata-Motors-there.html | archivedate = 2010-06-20 | title = Long before Tata Motors, there was Sipani's Dolphin | url-status = dead | first = Venkatesha | last = Babu | date = 2009-03-22 | publisher = HT Media | work = LiveMint.com }}
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/29554-info-sipani-dolphin.html Info on Sipani Dolphin by Team-BHP]

{{Automotive industry in India}}

[[Category:Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of India]]
[[Category:Car brands]]
[[Category:Car manufacturers of India]]
[[Category:Indian brands]]
[[Category:Manufacturing companies based in Bangalore]]
[[Category:1973 establishments in Karnataka]]
[[Category:Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1973]]
[[Category:Indian companies established in 1973]]
[[Category:Indian companies disestablished in 2002]]
[[Category:Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 2002]]

Sipani - Revision history

->Starbug22: /* Badal */