Mahindra Moving Forward With Plans for 2009 US Truck Debut
Those of you wishing for a sensible, small, utilitarian diesel engined pickup truck are about to get your wish. The Wall Street Journal reports Mahindra & Mhaindra's plan to release its Appalachian model mid-size pickup is on schedule for 2009. Previous reports tell us that the truck will feature a 2.2-liter, four-cylinder diesel rated at 150hp and 300 ft. lbs. Preliminary specifications tell of a six-speed automatic transmission, electronic stability control and a 7.5 ft. long bed. Mahindra's importer Global Vehicles (GV) has a… er… colorful history. Some years ago, GV tried to import a mini-Hummer style vehicle from Aro S.A. of Romania. The effort went down in flames; the Romanians could never jump the safety and emissions regulatory hurdles. Mahindra, on the other hand, is a far more capable company than Aro and is already a force in the U.S. farm tractor market. More fantastic is Mahindra's claim that it will release a diesel-electric hybrid version in (you know it, you love it) 2010. Competition in the shrinking U.S. light truck market shows no signs of letting up. Now if it could just begin…
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Aren't we tired yet of all the "experts" telling us how poorly diesel sales in the US are going to be? Some of us have been begging American auto makers to provide us with an affordable passenger-style diesel vehicle for years, but as has been the trend the auto makers continue to push projects they think we want. With few alternatives, they've kept selling what they think we need instead of what consumers ask for. Detroit is trying to bury the Mahindra rollout before it's even launched and I would suggest directly contacting GV-USA and Mahindra to voice support for their plans to market a practical vehicle with a practical diesel engine. I know I have, and Pawan Goenka personally thanked me for the reassurance that Americans don't hate trucks and suvs - just the gas-guzzling monsters we've been offered. I'm guessing there's going to a lot of Big 3 auto execs having to justify to their boards why they missed the boat when Mahindra's sales numbers materialize. Sad that our stateside auto makers became so complacent, but not it's time to pay the fiddler - or would that be Saringda player...?
Canada? NO. I asked both parent Mahindra and also GV and got the apologetic answer that No, the truck won't be coming to Canada in next couple of years. If it succeeds in the US I'm sure it will appear in Canada. I am dissapointed at the prospect of having to buy a unit body car with plastic bumpers, and an interference engine with an inaccesible rubber timing belt in the interim.
If this truck does everything Mahindra says it can. I might, just might, trade in my 1989 Toyota 1 ton. The only thing I wish it could have is a manual transmission and wheel locks on its 4 wheel drive.