Mahindra pickup trucks delayed in the U.S; going gets rough in Australia

Mahindra is on a role in the Indian market, its Xylo is finding buyers at a pace equal to Renault losing them.

The Xylo's feature-rich cabin is fascinating Verna, Fiesta or even the Honda City buyer. During our test, we found the car comfortable, the interior space was enough to serve as a makeshift home during the floods.

Over to Australia and things are not so smooth for Mahindra

Mahindra is hoping to grow "slowly but steadily" in Australia. The company which increased its dealer count from ten to twenty in two years, is finding it hard to reach targets. To give itself more hope, a revamped Pik-Up, designed for better safety, was launched a few days back.

The original Pik-Up scored a "poor" two-star crash safety rating by the Australian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP). The pickup earned just 16.49 points out of a possible 37. The outcome of this crash test was nothing less than a catastrophe. In the test, "the driver's head hit the hub of the steering wheel," and that the "steering column and dash components were a potential source of injury".

Mahindra has not announced its sales figures. It says only the media is interested in the figures. Brand building is its top priority now.

Mahindra says it will launch the Xylo and the Scorpio in Australia in about twelve month's time.

Mahindra delays Pik-Up launch in the U.S

Indians are waiting for Mahindra to launch the Pik-Up in the U.S as that would be the first ever proper Indian vehicle to be taken stateside. The Pik-Up stands a good chance of capturing buyers with its looks, price and capability which even a company official discussed with me during the Auto Expo last year. If the Pik-Up earns a good name, it will make things better for the Tata Nano and other Indian manufacturers eying the American market.

However, the U.S. launch of Mahindra's midsize diesel pickup truck has been postponed to February next year. The company will only begin production in December this year and end-February they will make it available for consumption.

Mahindra's pickup will be offered in two cab configurations -  a two-door regular cab (could be called TR20) and a four-door crew cab (TR40). A slightly altered version of Mahindra's "mHawk"' 2.2-liter inline-four-cylinder diesel engine is expected to have a decent fuel economy rating and haul 1.3-tons.

Source - Pickup tucks and Car Sales Australia