Keith Browning Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 Can anyone tell me what company is 49% invested in this? Quote: Indian clean diesel pickup truck to be sold in U.S. late 2009 Some time in the latter half of 2009, a new line of compact pickup trucks from Indian manufacturer Mahindra & Mahindra, Ltd. will go on sale in the United States. The new truck, which will be available in two- and four-door versions, is targeted to be the most fuel-efficient compact available. That's because the new truck will only be available with a diesel engine and is expected to have a combined city/highway EPA rating of 30 mpg. Is that fuel efficiency enough to pay back the added cost of diesel fuel today? In many areas, diesel fuel is $1 per gallon higher than regular gasoline, the fuel that all other compact pickups on the market today use. Xavier Beguiristain, vice president of marketing for Global Vehicles, the firm's North American distributor, believes that consumers will become convinced of that. The Mahindra pickups will have the load-carrying capacity of full-sized models available today. In addition, the Indian pickups will have a high towing capacity - ideal for bass fishermen, trailer towing and other outdoor pursuits. Currently Mahindra sells about 200,000 vehicles per year in India and 20 other countries around the globe. However, the pickups Mahindra will sell in the U.S. will be substantially upgraded from those offered abroad. The pickups will meet all federal emissions and safety standards. They will also have interiors designed to appeal to American buyers. No specific engineering specifications are available yet, but the Mahindra pickups will be powered by a 2.2-liter common rail diesel engine that will be legal in all 50 states. That's because it will have a reservoir containing a urea solution that will be sprayed directly into the exhaust gases. It's similar to the BlueTEC technology Mercedes will use in its new-generation diesel engines due on the market late this year. The urea converts NOx into benign nitrogen and water vapor, thus eliminating one of the harmful emissions produced by diesel engines. NOx is responsible for causing smog. Beguiristain says the Mahindra pickups will compete with domestics like the Chevy Colorado, GMC Canyon and Ford Ranger, as well as the Toyota Tacoma and Nissan Frontier. None of the other trucks in this segment is available with diesels and Berguiristain believes that gives the Indian truck an advantage. There are 315 dealers who have signed up to sell the Mahindra pickups here. "We're aiming at 400 dealers eventually," Berguiristain says. Details of the product rollout have not been finalized, he says. But most dealers in the distribution network will begin selling the vehicle at the same time. Because there is a very high tax on importing completely assembled pickup trucks, Mahindra will assemble the trucks in the U.S. with parts shipped in from its Indian factories. The company has not yet announced where the pickup assembly plant will be located, but it has budgeted $50 million to launch sales in the U.S. Most of the dealers who have signed up to sell Mahindra pickups already sell GM, Ford, Toyota and Nissan vehicles. Mahindra requires a minimum of 900 square feet of exclusive showroom space at its dealerships. One wall will be devoted to Mahindra's heritage and will have a screen showing highlights of the company's history. Beguiristain forecasts that there will be a lot of pre-sales of the new trucks before they are ready to be delivered. When Mahindra begins marketing the new pickups you can expect to see a lot of effort devoted to Internet marketing. However, Beguiristain says that the company will also attempt to reach pickup buyers with conventional advertising. The Indian company is making a big bet that Americans are ready for a new brand in pickups and that they will accept diesels readily. We'll know whether that gamble pays off very quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Amacker Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 Can anyone tell me what company is 49% invested in this? For sure? No. I suspect it's IH, since they are already tied to Mahindra and Mahindra in India making truck engines and farm equipment engines. We talked about this a few months ago. http://www.forddoctorsdts.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=14750&page=5#Post14750 This is not much of a surprise to me and I won't miss them a bit. I've never liked Cat due to their constant need for specialized tools and procedures, their lack of support for the aftermarket, and their obvious intentions of eliminating the independent shop from servicing their engines. The EPA has been far too lax in instituting/enforcing regulations in the HD market like they have in the automotive market. Hooray! No love lost. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601091&sid=a6_BXKNE.BJE&refer=india Mahindra has released a press statement stating they are to build a LD diesel pickup with a German engine to be built at an unnamed Ohio plant. This has to be a a Navistar facility, I'm guessing, like the Springfield assembly plant. I welcome any more LD diesel "anythings" but am skeptical at whether Mahindra's $22K diesel pickup has a place in the US market. If it was $12-14K it would be hot, but the high vehicle price, high price of fuel and the unknown overseas name will combine to give it quite a hurdle to overcome. It will be interesting.... I'm thinking this project has been slowed down or shelved due to high diesel costs and slow economy.... /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony302600 Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 AND DRUM ROLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My dealership. Our owner is obssessed with getting this truck. Lucky us I guess. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/rolleyes.gif Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Warman Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 A trip to the mahindra website is quite revealing.... a small truck is shown in a manner that would have us consider that Renault would be involved in a light truck effort. This is worth a read, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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