Many of you must have heard about the Mahindra Jeeps the Indian Army used back in the 1960s. But there was another elite vehicle that used to guard the borders. It was Nissan’s Jonga. Well, a fun fact, Jonga is not a name but an acronym for Jabalpur Ordnance And Gun-carriage Assembly. This was the facility where this robust 4×4 vehicle was produced for the army. Let’s take a look at the course of history, the Jonga has tread on.
Jonga – Indian Army Carrier
The Jonga actually dates back to World War 2. Japan was devastated after the war. So, the country decided to procure a vehicle that could be used by the military, fire department and the health workers. Nissan introduced the first generation of 4W60 which was later named Patrol. Then, Nissan began to sell it globally.
Soon, in the 1960s, the Indian Army showed their interest in the Patrol and offered local production at the Vehicle Factory Jabalpur. By 1964, the Indian Army acquired rights to manufacture and use the Patrol 60 and VFJ was given the task to produce JONGA for the army.
The Indian Army used Jonga for 4 main purposes: a general personnel carrier, an ambulance, patroling vehicle and gun carrier.
The Technical Specifications of the Beast
Jonga was capable of lifting 1 ton of weight. This much weight capacity came from a 4.0-litre, in-line 6-cylinder engine that was capable of producing 145hp of power @3,800rpm and over 330Nm of torque @ 1,800rpm.
For the transmission duties, a 3-speed manual gearbox was provided. Jonga also had a four-wheel-drive transfer case. All this combined to a 222mm ground clearance made it a beast for sure.
Later, in 1996, the SUV was made for the civilians too. But there was a change in engine. It was now a 3.0-litre turbocharged diesel engine which produced 145hp of power and 340Nm of torque. But the company had to remove the turbo as the transmission was not able to compliment the raw power. The new specs came in at a lower end. The new non-turbo engine produced a power of 110hp and a torque of 280Nm.
By 1999, Vehicle Factory at Jabalpur decided to stop the production of Jonga as only 100 were sold since 96′.
2019 – Jonga in news again
Last year, this SUV was in news again as our very own Captain Cool, Mahendra Singh Dhoni bought a restored Jonga from Punjab for himself. He bought a 1999 model of Jonga 1 Ton which is powered by a 3.0-litre diesel engine.
Check this out! MS Dhoni & His Car Collection | The MSD Car Garage!
So this was a beast from history that used to carry the Indian Army and patrol our borders along with them. It was later replaced by light vehicles such as Maruti Suzuki Gypsy which became another favourite amongst the frontiers. What are your views on the Jonga? Let us know in the comments section below.
Have a look: Mahindra and Mahindra | The name you know, the history you don’t
Jonga should be produced again