Indian automaker indeed targeting U.S.
In August of last year, we had news of India's Mahindra and Mahindra planning to bring their Scorpio SUV to the States. Apparently, they have firmed up those plans and contracted with Atlanta's Global Vehicles USA to be the sole distributor. According to Advertising Age, Global has signed up 195 Mahindra dealers and plans to add 105 more before sales begin in fall of 2008. While the Mahindra SUV was expected, Global's advertising agency, Titan, let slip that Global will also import a "sport recreational vehicle" and a two-door pickup. The agency said all three would be turbo diesel powered.
While we don't know for sure the exact models Mahindra will send us, unless they have designed all-new U.S. spec vehicles, the pickup above, called the PIK Up, is one likely suspect. And we're just not sure what a "sport recreational vehicle" is. We guess it will be Titan's job to tell us.
[Source: Advertising Age]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Avinash machado 9:08AM (2/02/2007)
Here are road tests of two Mahindra SUV's from an Indian Automobile Magazine.
http://www.autocarindia.com/new/RoadTestDetails.asp?ID=1023
http://www.autocarindia.com/new/RoadTestDetails.asp?ID=1086
Reply
Will 9:22AM (2/02/2007)
Please say it isn't so....we don't need another mini-pickup that looks like a 1983 Datsun...or an SUV that is uglier than a Mitsubishi Montero while ripping it off at the same time...these just look really, really bad!
Reply
sr20de 9:15AM (2/02/2007)
Now Kia owners won't have to feel (as) bad about their car choice!
Reply
kingvolcano 9:15AM (2/02/2007)
No sense of design.
Reply
blitzkrieg79 10:06AM (2/02/2007)
Ahhh, more competition on our market. Too bad those cars are freaking ugly but I bet if they are priced low enough people will still buy them I guess.
Reply
ly 9:19AM (2/02/2007)
Good looking SUV
Reply
imme 9:23AM (2/02/2007)
#1, AutoCar India describes the scorpio as a "good-looking beast, with an imposing front end and hunky-looking body cladding"??? lol, speechless...
Reply
John P. 9:34AM (2/02/2007)
scorpio eh? I'd rather have a 1990 merkur scorpio any day.
Reply
Mike 9:38AM (2/02/2007)
Don't be so sure that there's no market for a simple, small, economical and non-fussy/prissy SUV in the US. The Japanese could do it better and cheaper, but will they? US manufacturers could build a good vehicle like this, but they won't/can't afford to take the chance
Reply
nst101 3:19PM (2/02/2007)
Wow, the center console looks like a pissed off gargoyle type thing... Um, this might be an ok vehicle in the Indian market where roads are not as well kept as in other markets and style is still about a decade behind, but I don't know if it's going to make it. Of course, if they bring the Hindustan Ambassador, I'd be all over that (:
Reply
steve 9:42AM (2/02/2007)
If it's cheap enough, somebody will buy it - especially a basic pickup.
FWIW, recent Indian immigrants may prefer a familiar brand....
Reply
davydany 9:44AM (2/02/2007)
oh boy! this is gonna suck! omg...nasty design...glad they're not bringing the ambasador
http://www.aroundtheworldineightyways.com/assets/news_assets/day046/HMAmbassador_l.jpg
Reply
P'up BB 11:56AM (2/03/2007)
The tremendous expansion of the size of current "small pickups" (heck, my Frontier weighs 4400 lbs for crying out loud) has left a huge hole in the market for small, utilitarian pickup trucks. "Styling" is a minor consideration for this market, though the pickup shown isn't that bad. I wish M&M well.
That being said, this "Scorpio" is ugly with a capital UG.
Reply
rrr 10:03AM (2/02/2007)
This PICK UP will never be sold in USA. Because USA imposes a 25% tax on all imported Pick Up trucks. That is why all Pick Ups are made in NAFTA zone and never been imported. No car can be profitable if it pays 25% towards a tax.
This is from EDMUNDS
Should the US keep the Chicken Tax?
The Chicken Tax was instituted back in 1963, and was aimed at European (read VW) truckmakers. The long and the short of it is that there was a trade war going back then between the USA and Europe. The Europeans tripled the tax of chickens being imported into Europe, and the US retaliated by putting a 25% tax on any truck imported into the USA. That's how it came about, and we've lived with it ever since.
So now there is an effort afoot by the Bush administration for a free-trade agreement with Thailand that would substantially reduce this tariff, if not eliminate it. The UAW and Detroit automakers are fighting this tooth-and-nail not to let this happen. They fear that if the Chicken Tax is reduced or repealed, the US will be flooded with cheap pickups made in Thailand, and that their "truck cash cow" will disappear.
My feeling is that I would like to see a lot more diversity in the types of trucks offered for sale here, like small compact diesel trucks, and many of the other types of trucks we see sold in other markets, but can't be sold here at a profit, because of the 25% tariff. Eliminating the Chicken tax would allow that to happen. Imported cars have a 2.5% tax. I think for imported trucks it should be the same.
What's your take? Are you for or against continuing the Chicken Tax?
http://blogs.edmunds.com/.ee8f829
P.S. LOL You are all so silly. Did you really think that GM and Ford were able to make cars that are so dominant in sales (F-150, Silverado) without help from the Government? Please. Toyota could have easily flooded USA with Hilux.
What sickens me the most is that Detroit lovers refuse to admit that the only ONLY reason Ford and GM are in the Pick Up game is because the government keeps foreighners out. Much like many other cars imports could have imported Cheap Pick Ups to USA but relentless lobbying by GM Ford and UAW stops that. Well i have news for you, Thailand is a GROWING economy, it has many banks and it is also world's second largest produser of Pick Ups trucks (USA first). US banks want part of that banking slice, they have been puting presure on Bush administration to sigh a free trade deal with Thailand so they can start buying their banks (before Chinese will start doing that) but in return Thailand (among many other things) will demand the removal of Chicken Tax.
Reply
Justin 10:22AM (2/02/2007)
If that red pickup doesn't look like an old Tacoma\T100...then I don't know what does.
I don't really like how tall these look. Too narrow, remind me of Land Rovers. That interior is uh...interesting. Sand or cracked mud the theme?
Reply
mehugtree 10:29AM (2/02/2007)
I agree...they ain't purdy. Nor are they original, a lot of the fleet looks like Jeep circa 1972.
http://www.mahindra.com/MAHINDRAS/automotive/productmainpage.htm
I'm all for unique and different, but man, even I couldn't find anything exciting there..well, maybe this: http://www.mahindra.com/MAHINDRAS/automotive/fj470ds4.htm
Reply
Matt W. 10:44AM (2/02/2007)
Hey Justin, lets go halves on a Mahindra dealership on Route 1 in Woodbridge... We'd probably become the largest Mahindra dealer in the country.
Reply
George 10:44AM (2/02/2007)
My guess for the "sport recreational vehicle" would be the Mahindra CL 500/550 MDI http://www.mahindra.com/MAHINDRAS/automotive/CL500-550%20MDI.HTM
Dare I say it, Its possibly one the Finest Off-Road vehicle out there.. I say it cause I drove this beast in Kerala, which unlike rest of India is a completely different terrain.. None of the Jeeps here would be even able to trek up some the mountains there, and the roads in Kerala are probably the worst in the country and this baby is able to hit the potholes as if it wasn't there..
I hope they bring it, but I doubt it meets any safety standards.. But who needs them..lol
Reply
RWD fan 10:46AM (2/02/2007)
Go ahead and call me crazy, but I would love to see something along these lines stateside. Now that SUVs are falling out of fashion with the trendy folk we might get back to basics in trucks. I'd love to get a truck/suv that I didn't have to worry about getting dirty because I could simply hose the thing out. Manual, full-locking transfer cases are better, as are manual front hubs. You know they're engaged, and something like a blown fuse doesn't leave you stuck. Real trucks don't need sub-10 second 0-60 times, they need torque and a decent chassis for towing. Power windows and cruise control should automatically disqualify any vehicle from being called a truck or "utility" vehicle.
If the Indians can get one of these to the states, and maybe even under $18k, it'd be great, although it's going to take some time to prove any kind of reliability.
Too bad Land Rover can't get a Defender 90 over here that complies with DOT/EPA for under $20k, I'd be in line to get one.
Reply
Mark 11:02AM (2/02/2007)
I thought there was room at the bottom of the market for a small, simple pickup, I just thought a Chinese manufacturer would be the first to exploit it. If Mahindra can get their diesels to meet US emissions then great, bring it over. As to the appearance, who cares?
Reply