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Mahindra delays launch in U.S. to late 2009
Truck shoppers hoping to grab a Mahindra pickup early next year are gonna have to wait a little longer. It seems the challenges of bringing an India-made vehicle to the U.S. are difficult, and the vehicles now won't go on sale in the U.S. before the fourth quarter of 2009.
Even though 324 dealers have signed up to sell the truck, few of them have actually built the needed facilities. That's not enough to keep Georgia-based Global Vehicles from going ahead with their plans to begin U.S. sales. But GV's CEO John Perez recenly spoke to Mahindra's global managing director Anand Mahindra who, according to Automotive News, said that no truck with his family's name on it was going to fail in the U.S. Mr. Mahindra plans to run a fleet of his company's vehicles over 3.2 million miles of U.S. roads before he'll be approve the trucks for sale here.
The plan is for the trucks to utilize a 4-cylinder diesel engine not yet approved by the EPA. But Perez says he has no fear their January application will have any trouble getting blessed.
While the trucks are getting some U.S. experience, Global Vehicles will continue to sign up new dealers, and hopes to have 450 by the end of 2009. The importer has a sales goal of 50,000 vehicles a year, though Mahindra says it could produce as many as 400,000 U.S.-bound trucks if demand is there. And if Mahindra's promise of 30 mpg holds true, there could be huge demand. If things go well, look for a diesel-powered Mahindra SUV to follow.
[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd, Pickuptrucks.com]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Sandeep 5:09PM (8/25/2008)
The Mahinda Scorpio (think SUV version of this) does get excellent mileage, but the refinement leaves something to be desired.
Then again, if we still have so many Rangers on the road, I think refinement takes backseat to mileage for enough people to make this a success.
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Lou 5:10PM (8/25/2008)
I had read somewhere these trucks would start under $10K. Does anyone know what the pricing will be like. Looks like a bare bones work horse like the Toyotas and Nissans of years gone by.
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ronzo 5:12PM (8/25/2008)
Bring It!
I want one.
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wrussi 5:13PM (8/25/2008)
im not sure about them selling 50k trucks a year. the truck has to be under 15k for it to sell close to those numbers. and then we come to the perception factor. the general public will wonder.. who is mahindra?? aside from people that read car related forums the rest have no idea who they are.
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letstakeawalk 6:38PM (8/25/2008)
Plenty of farmers and ranchers know the Mahindra name, and that's exactly who the company is targeting.
http://www.mahindrausa.com/company.php
If they can bring a low-cost, efficient and durable small diesel pick-up to America's heartland, I think they'll do just fine.
Iridium 5:24PM (8/25/2008)
Ah India doing what the Big 3 failed to do. Sell a good compact truck in the market. No the Ranger does not count.
Detroit would have been ok if they didn't get all caught up in bigger is better and who cares about fuel.
A good fuel efficient compact truck should have always been in the line.
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Cameron42985 6:42PM (8/25/2008)
Iridium
Dude, really? What's so bad about Ranger? Do some research and tell me.
PJ 7:30PM (8/25/2008)
Speaking of the Ranger, anyone know how it's selling this year? With the Mazda 2.3-liter Four, it's pretty much answers the same question as the Mahindra. It's a pretty decent little workhorse, and a stick-shift base model gets out the door for $10K-$12K after the standard fire-sale discount.
ambientFLIER 8:46PM (8/27/2008)
The ranger has crappy fuel economy. It needs an efficient diesel.
spots 5:25PM (8/25/2008)
Most people who live in rural areas are familiar with Mahindra's line of tractors; they're pretty common in the boonies. They have a reputation as not only inexpensive to buy and maintain, but adequately reliable as well.
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Lou 5:29PM (8/25/2008)
I would definitely be in the market for this at around $10K for a stripped down one. I find it funny that they need to "test" it on American roads...I am sure if it does well in India, it would easily survive far better driving conditions here.
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LoneWolf 5:29PM (8/25/2008)
A Truck needs more than to be fuel efficient ;)
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kimman 5:38PM (8/25/2008)
Wow, a truck that can actually be used to haul something except beer bellies. What a concept.
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Taylor 6:01PM (8/25/2008)
Umm... actually i think this is the only truck on the market that might have trouble hauling much more than beer bellies... How could you even pretend that this is better at hauling than the trucks we already have?
-Taylor
The Luigiian 9:28PM (8/25/2008)
"Umm... actually i think this is the only truck on the market that might have trouble hauling much more than beer bellies... How could you even pretend that this is better at hauling than the trucks we already have?
-Taylor"
Taylor, the Mahindra M-100 (or whatever it is to be called) is said to have a 1.3 ton hauling capacity. It's larger than it looks in pictures. Its bed is seven and a half feet long. It is a true compact work truck in every sense of the word.
sdiori 5:41PM (8/25/2008)
I believe The Big 3 did what the market demanded....sell big trucks, and SUVs....a lot of 'em. We talk on this blog of having the right product at the right time, and surely SUVs during the 90's were all the rage and spot-on (Ford Explorer, anyone?). As recently as 2001, gas was as low as 99 cents a gallon in downstate Illinois. The Big 3 served the market well.
Where they failed is what we call "C.Y.A.", or Cover Your A**. The lessons learned from the 70's gas shortages and brief oil craziness in the early eighties should have never been forgotten. True, The Big 3's Japanese counterparts have also recently expanded their model lines and made bigger, thirstier vehicles. Many, you could argue, were late to the party (looking at you, Honda). However, the Japanese never forgot their core business: small, efficient cars. The Toyota Corolla is the best selling car of all time for a reason. No, its not fun anymore, and yeah its sorta bland, but its efficient and lasts forever.
Maybe its the cultural difference. With the wide open spaces and highways that seemingly last forever here in the good ol' U.S. of A, larger more comfortable cars are only a natural fit; and we got just that, and they sold just as quick.
Foresight, ladies and gentlemen, is to blame here. GM, Chrysler, and Ford should have been making at least one efficient car to bank on if the market fluctuated. Here's to hoping they don't repeat that mistake.
No GM, Chrysler, or Ford is bad for everybody. Competition is great.
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spots 5:50PM (8/25/2008)
I believe The Big 3 did what the market demanded....sell big trucks, and SUVs....a lot of 'em. We talk on this blog of having the right product at the right time, and surely SUVs during the 90's were all the rage and spot-on (Ford Explorer, anyone?). As recently as 2001, gas was as low as 99 cents a gallon in downstate Illinois. The Big 3 served the market well.
That was entirely too sensible, reasoned and rational a post for this topic. Good job!!
LOL!
reddy 10:51AM (8/26/2008)
"The Big 3 served the market well."
Well yeah! with low quality and inefficient vehicles fooling Americans they did earn well.
Why does Ford now say :Ford now equals toyota in quality" They openly accept they were making vehicles or lower quality and would not improve unless they have good competition from overseas.
We should be thankful that toyota and honda's entry made the detroit 2.5 stop continue fooling americans by selling wht ever they made
BOB 2:39PM (8/26/2008)
YOU FORGOT CAFE -- but right, otherwise.
While making the big boats, the (formerly) Big 3 were pouring money down the drain on loser small cars that they didnt know how to make well, and couldn't sell at a profit, with their cost structures --- to try to match the CAFE regs.
The Overseas guys had the small car thing down --- and the cultures, union contracts and shortsightness of the US guys kept them from getting serious on the efficiency thing (until now -- late!)
I love it when people here say how great a vehicle (Ranger) is, when sold at a loss. No point spending $$ to update a truck you cant make a profit on -- duh!
Jason 5:51PM (8/25/2008)
This smells an awful lot like the ARO Cross Lander SUV. My guess is that this pickup won't ever be sold here, or at least not anytime soon.
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