All Entries Tagged With: "global vehicles"

Did Mahindra and Global Vehicles Kiss and Make Up?

Like many truck fans, I’ve been waiting for the Mahindra Pik-Up. Not only because it’s going to the first “baby” diesel truck available to consumers, but also because it promises to deliver a tremendous amount of capability (great towing and hauling) at a great price ($25-$30k per).

Are Mahindra and Global Vehicles REALLY going to sell any trucks?

Unfortunately, the future of Mahindra has been pretty cloudy this year. Mahindra and Global Vehicles (their U.S. distributor) haven’t been on the best of terms lately. Global Vehicles President John Perez has alleged heavy-handedness from Mahindra, and Mahindra has tried to completely dissolve their relationship with Global Vehicles.

However, a recent email from Mahindra President John Perez indicates that this relationship may be on the mend:

Mahindra Pik Up Still “In The Mail”

People always seem to believe the old “it’s in the mail” excuse, or at least give someone the benefit of the doubt. Since October 2008, Mahindra has been promising that their long-awaited baby diesel pickup is “in the mail,” but here we are in September 2010 and we’re no closer to a Mahindra now than we were then.

Since 2008, Mahindra has been promising the U.S.A. a "Pik Up" powered by a small diesel. Image copyright Viva Chile.

Of course, we’re willing to give Mahindra a break on this delay because:

• U.S. environmental and safety regulations can be challenging, especially for a first-time US auto importer
• The economy and consumer demand for pickups ground to a halt for most of the last 2 years, which made launching a new product a little challenging
• Mahindra told us these delays were needed to improve quality
• Deep down, we’re all a little excited about a small diesel truck with a 2500 lbs payload rating that gets 30 mpg highway

If Mahindra’s truck can be successful, other automakers might just re-visit their plans for diesel half-ton, raising the chance that we might see a diesel Tundra someday. However, before anyone gets all warm and fuzzy about the prospect of a cool little Mahindra pickup, they should read this story about Mahindra dismissing their existing U.S. business partner. Here’s the short version, plus some other important facts: