Calcutta, Nov. 20: International Cars & Motors Ltd (ICML), a company manufacturing passenger vehicles, is making forays into eastern India. It is opening dealerships in Calcutta, Bhubaneswar, Patna, Dhanbad and other cities, taking its total footprint in the country to 60 dealers.

ICML was set up by the Rs 500-crore Sonalika Group, a Punjab-based farm equipment manufacturing entity. The company started manufacturing its first multi-utility vehicle (MUV) — the Rhino — in 2007 with a 2-litre Isuzu engine. It has now launched its MUV Delite in the east.

“After the successful launch of the Delite in north India, our current focus is to achieve the same in the eastern region,” said Gaurav Saxena, director (sales and marketing) of ICML.

The company, which has tied up with the UK-based Rover for technology transfer for its CRD-FI engine, is planning to launch a 1.5-tonne pick-up truck in the same platform and a low-cost model of the Delite for the rural market, said Saxena.

“We are also in advanced talks with a European company for a joint venture to bring in more vehicles in the passenger segment within a year’s time,” Saxena said.

ICML has its plant at Hoshiarpur in Punjab, set up at an investment of Rs 500 crore. It has a capacity of 24,000 vehicles per annum.