The Wait is Over...

After weeks of Silence, Gloabl Vehicles-USA recently released this video from CEO John Perez.

US Spec Mahindra Spied in Texas

We've waited almost two years to catch a glimpse of the U.S.-spec Mahindra TR40 crew cab pickup you see in these pictures. The Indian-built diesel pickup has several refinements that set it apart from the rest of the Mahindra's Scorpio-platform trucks sold overseas (including the version we drove last month). The U.S. truck adds a front bumper guard -- that's similar to an aftermarket guard -- as standard equipment and a stamped-steel rear bumper. Both enhancements are needed to pass low-speed crash tests, which call for the front and rear bumpers to survive 2.5 mph direct and 1.5 mph corner impacts without damage. The trucks have standard stability control and four-wheel disc brakes...

To read the rest of the story visit Pickuptrucks.com.

Mahindra Pik-up in US by Feb 2010

To a certain extent, cars made by Indian automakers are making their mark all over the world. The good news is that it is growing positively. Previously Indian automaker Mahindra has exported its cars to countries like South Africa. Now the PTI is reporting that Mahindra will start sales of their Pik-up in the United States by February next year.

Pawan Goenka is the president of the automotive
sector at M&M. He stated, “We will start production of Mahindra ‘Pik-up’ utility vehicle
by December this year for the US and by end-February next year, the vehicle will be sold there (in the US). Earlier, we had a capex plan of Rs 5,000 crore but during the third quarter last year, we reduced it by 10 per cent to Rs 4,500 crore for a period between mid-FY’ 09 and FY’12.”

Mahindra has been doing well when it comes to utility vehicles as they sold some 48,720 units in Q1 as the segment grew by 2 percent in that quarter. Though M&M’s share grew, Goenka has pointed out that high excise rates are affecting the growth of the utility vehicle industry and predicted that there would be single-digit growth in the coming few months.

Australian Mahindra Truck Released!

Mahindra Automotive Australia introduced an updated version of its Mahindra Pik-up today with a refreshed front end and interior that possibly preview what U.S. buyers can look forward to.

On the outside, Mahindra has strengthened the looks of the front bumper and given its corporate logo a more prominent spot on the grille. The headlights are also a bit more stylish.

Inside, the Australian pickup receives new driver and front passenger airbags, wider seats, power-operated mirrors, a new AM/FM/CD/MP3 audio system with USB and SD-card ports, and four cupholders -- something Mahindra's U.S. distributor, Global Vehicles USA Inc., had promised would be a high priority.

Other than the right-hand-drive steering wheel and manual transmission (the U.S. version will be a six-speed automatic), is this what the Mahindra pickup truck's exterior and interior will look like when it goes on sale here late this year?

"The Australian truck looks very close to ours," GV USA spokesman Mike Geylin told PickupTrucks.com this afternoon.

The U.S. pickup, likely to be called the TR20 or TR40, depending on two- or four-door cab type, will use a slightly modified version of Mahindra's 'mHawk' 2.2-liter inline-four-cylinder clean-diesel engine instead of the 2.5-liter CRDe four-cylinder turbo-diesel in the Australian Pik-up.

Article from USA Today

It's practical; the only diesel in its class; will probably be rated at 30 miles per gallon; and perfect for fording the Ganges.

The first Indian vehicle in the U.S. is due to show up at 339 dealers around the U.S. this year. Made by Mahindra Group, the pickup is yet to get a name for the U.S. market. Described as being midsize, but really probably more of a compact, the pickup will probably sell in the low-$20,000 range and come in several different versions:

The Mahindra will come in a two-door and four-door configuration, not to mention two-wheel- and four-wheel-drive versions. Its 2.2-liter, four-cylinder diesel will be paired with a standard six-speed transmission. The pickup will have electrronic stability control, a 1.3-ton payload capacity, air conditioning (Calcutta sizzles this time of year!) and should be great for towing. To try to allay the fears of doubters, the Mahindra will come with a four-year, 60,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty.

An SUV could follow in a year.

“The U.S. continues to be the world’s most important automotive market in terms of size, growth and opportunity,” said Pawan Goenka, president of Mahindra’s automotive group. “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.”

Global Vehicles is based in Atlanta. Mahindra has been importing tractors into the U.S. for more than decade.

Photo of Mahindra pickup by Global Vehicles USA

Car buyer, have you considered a …. Mahindra?

The recession grinds on. Gas and diesel prices rise. Automakers and dealers go out of business. Credit is hard to come by.

What a perfect time to introduce a brand new line of automobiles.

Who cares if they’re SUVs and trucks targeted by enviros? Or that they run on diesel? Or that they’re made in … India?

“For us,” said John Perez (To the right), who is in charge of distributing the Mahindra vehicle line nationwide, “what’s happening in the United States today is playing right into our hands.”

Perez is CEO of Global Vehicles USA Inc., an Alpharetta auto importer and distributor that holds the exclusive rights to sell the Indian SUVs and pickups. Perez has signed up roughly 330 auto dealers, including a handful in metro Atlanta, to peddle the small trucks and Land Rover-like SUVs.

To finish the article goto the Atlanta Journal Constitution by Clicking Here.

Article from Pickuptrucks.com

Contrary to a report in The Wall Street Journal, executives from Global Vehicles USA say the first imported pickups from Indian auto manufacturer Mahindra & Mahindra will be available for sale in the U.S. later this year instead of postponed until 2010.
According to John Perez, CEO of GV USA, via spokesman Mike Geylin, "...there will be Mahindra pickup trucks on the ground, delivered to dealers in calendar year 2009. The number will not be large, but they will hit the showrooms. The major launch, which is still scheduled as a regional roll out, gets going in earnest during 2010."
The Wall Street Journal cited Anand Mahindra, vice chairman and managing director of Mahindra, as having said the truck would not be launched in the U.S. until 2010.
There have been several previous miscommunications about the new pickup. The truck had originally been expected to start sales in the first quarter of 2009, before the launch was postponed until December. It was going to be called the Appalachian before that name was scrapped for an alphanumeric badge, likely TR20 or TR40. And a diesel hybrid version has been put on the backburner.
The Mahindra pickup will be offered in two cab configurations: a two-door regular cab and a four-door crew cab. The diesel-only truck will use a slightly modified version of Mahindra's "mHawk"' 2.2-liter inline four cylinder diesel engine. It's expected to have fuel economy ratings as high as 30 mpg and 1.3-ton hauling capability. Final U.S. pricing for the pickup is expected in September.

Trucks Have Been Ordered!

We've just completed ordering the first batch of Mahindra trucks. They will be here in September. We will be getting 3 TR20's and 11 TR40's!

Want a Sneak Peak at Mahindra?

You can sign up today to be one of the first people to see the new Mahindra trucks by GOING HERE.

The trucks will be availiable for sale in December, but you can see one when Mahindra brings them to the dealers for a public showing in June and July!