Pickups made in India set for December entry into U.S.

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Aftermarket Business World
Pickups made in India set for December entry into U.S.
Publish date: Sep 21, 2010
By: James E. Guyette

Proclaiming it to be "the biggest little truck in the world" with "the longest bed of any compact pickup sold in America" at 7.5 feet in length, India's Mahindra is set to launch its U.S. line of TR20 and TR40 models in December.

Alpharetta, Ga.-based distributor Global Vehicles U.S.A., Inc. has assembled an array of some 350 dealer showrooms as the Indian-built trucks start arriving at American wharves.

"We're confident we're coming to the market with the right product at the right time," says John Perez, Global's CEO. "Mahindra vehicles promise superior quality, performance and reliability along with outstanding fuel efficiency at an affordable price," he notes.

"These trucks, and the SUV we will bring in about a year later, have been redesigned and reengineered to appeal to U.S. consumers with features normally found on much more expensive vehicles," Perez says. Carrying a four-year/60,000-mile bumper- to-bumper warranty, the retail price tag has yet to be determined.

"The U.S. continues to be the world's most important automotive market in terms of size, growth and opportunity," says Dr. Pawan Goenka, president of Mahindra's automotive division.

"Mahindra's entry into the U.S. auto market is a significant step not just for our company, but for India. We look forward to working with our importer, Global Vehicles, and its impressive dealer network to make Mahindra a U.S. success story," Goenka adds. (The two firms have recently been at odds over several internal issues; both parties are signaling that the situation will soon be resolved.)

"Our trucks are for people who love trucks and for people who don't know they could love a truck," Goenka explains. "We have equipped them with clean-burning diesel engines that emit 30 percent fewer greenhouse gases. They are low maintenance and they get somewhere around 30 miles per gallon on the highway."

Similar to India's domestic Pik Up, the TR20 and TR40 have recently obtained emissions certification from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The lines are based on the Scorpio platform, with alternations for the American marketplace.

"Since its inception, the Scorpio has been a much-loved, much- admired brand," says Senior Vice President of Marketing Vivek Nayer. With a company vehicle- and parts-export presence in 25 nations, the development process of the Scorpio was the subject of a case study by the Harvard Business School.

Mahindra's U.S. entries have a six-speed automatic transmission as standard, air conditioning, electronic stability control, traction control, active rollover mitigation, four-wheel ABS brakes and a 140-horsepower turbo diesel engine – boasting state-of-the-art technology similar to Mercedes-Benz and BMW – delivering 236 pounds of torque, according to Goenka.

"Our vehicles provide an authentic look and offer the perfect combination of fuel efficiency and payload capacity – 2,765 pounds to be exact," Goenka reports. "That may not sound like a lot, but that number exceeds the standard full size pickups from our friends at Ford, Chevy, Toyota, Nissan and Dodge."

In addition to getting 20 to 40 percent better fuel mileage than comparable gasoline-powered vehicles, the two-door and four-door Mahindras will provide greater carrying capacity, diesel durability and superior towing capabilities, he asserts.

The firm, a huge conglomerate in India, got its automotive start shortly after World War II when brothers J.C. and K.C. Mahindra met with Barney Roos – inventor of the conflict's iconic general purpose vehicle, the "GP" – and were subsequently awarded contracts to assemble Willys Jeeps for use on India's rugged

terrain. Since 1994 Mahindra has been selling its farm tractors in the U.S. with assembly sites and warehouses in Houston, Calhoun, Ga. and Redbluff , Calif., becoming the fourth most-popular American tractor line and the third-largest seller in the world.

Named as one of the "Top 200 Forbes most reputable companies," Mahindra began a partnership with French automaker Renault in 2005 to manufacture the mid-size Logan sedan in India for the domestic and international markets.

In 2006, Mahindra and the International Truck and Engine Corp. established a joint venture to produce trucks and buses for sale in India and elsewhere.

The company's footprint includes a presence in Europe, South America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia in addition to the U.S.

In August Mahindra emerged as the preferred bidder for acquiring a majority stake in South Korea's Ssangyong Motor Co., which manufactures SUVs.

"Korea is one of the world's leading centers of automotive excellence, and Ssangyong brings with it a rich legacy of R&D and innovation," says Anand Mahindra, Mahindra's vice chairman and managing director. "Mahindra and Ssangyong will create synergy, which will make us significant global players."

For more information, visit Mahindra Clean Diesel Pickup Trucks and SUVs.

[Forest]

Since that is dated Sept 21, it was before Arbitration began and M&M rejected Global Vehicles Purchase Order

[MahindraPlanet]

Slightly dated, but still a nice article and a good find, Badass. I think Mahindra is going to realize that it's in their best interest to at least hammer out a short term arrangement with GV to get trucks here. December may be optimistic, but I hope they prove me wrong.

I was really hoping for some crazy press releases this week.

[pee wee]

So, as I understand it, the trucks that would come to the U.S. are unique in some respects- that is, they can't just build some trucks and decide later where to send them since those staying in India or going to Australia are right hand drive and some of the other features are different as well. If you are M&M and you weren't positive about getting this deal hammered out, would you hold off on making any of these trucks? And what about the ship that transports the trucks- does it just sit around like a taxi waiting for a whistle or does it have to be chartered well in advance? It seems like the chances of them getting here in or around December are nil unless Mahindra went out on a limb and is making and sending trucks here without knowing exactly what will happen to them. I don't know enough about the company to make an educated guess, but my uneducated guess is they are holding off and the trucks won't be here before next spring or summer at the soonest. Even if everything between the companies were settled today, I don't see how they could get things moving quickly enough to have trucks at dealers by late December this year. I'm not normally considered a pessimist, I really hope they can get their acts together and do what they set out to do (make, ship and sell trucks) rather than get caught up in this circus side show in the media and become the butt of industry jokes.

[Andy]

Originally Posted by MahindraPlanet

I was really hoping for some crazy press releases this week.

I know, Chris! I keep waiting for another breaking news headline from you

[Badass94Cad]

Yeah, it's a lot of the same ol' info recycled in this article, but I figured I'd post it FYI anyway.

I've been trolling through the forum for a while and following the developments with these trucks. Very interested, and very interesting watching this situation progress...or regress.