Indian utes back on Australian roads

Indian brand Mahindra is set to return to Australia early next year with a range of utes aimed largely at the rural sector.

The manufacturer is part of a massive Indian family company, Mahindra & Mahindra, that in the automotive sector is most widely known for its tractors -- it is the fourth largest maker in the world. It had a brief foray into the local car market in the early 1990s via a West Australian-based importer.

At the time, the quality and standards offered by the Willys Jeep style Bushranger and Stockman models were not up to the expectations of the Australian market and they failed to find buyers and quickly disappeared.

This time around, however, Rob Lowe, general manager for Sydney-based importer TMI Pacific, says the company is targeting a very different niche market.

Although Lowe says price will be one of the major factors that differentiates the Mahindra products from their Japanese and Thai-built competitors, the new products are up to global standards and will be practical and well-equipped.

When its arrives in March 2007, the Mahindra offering will consist solely of the Pik Up, which will be available in single or dual-cab ute or cab chassis versions. Both two and four-wheel drive variants will be offered.

The Pik Up is slightly bigger than the market leading Toyota Hilux and sits on a ladder-frame chassis with a leaf-sprung rear end and torsion bar front suspension.

Under the bonnet is a Euro IV compliant 2.6-litre common-rail four-cylinder turbodiesel that generates around 80kW/270Nm driving through a five-speed manual gearbox.

The two-wheel drive models are rear drive while the four-wheel drive system is a part-time set-up that offers electronic shift-on-the-fly between two and high-range four-wheel drive. A transfer case offers a true low-range.

Both single and dual-cab models feature a long load box with both having a one tonne capacity. Standard features are expected to include aircon, power steering, power windows, remote locking, and a CD audio system. Airbags and anti-lock brakes are expected to become available shortly after launch.

No automatic transmission is available although Mahindra is working with an Australian company to develop a suitable transmission for its vehicles.

Pricing has yet to be finalised but Lowe says the vehicles will be "very competitively priced" with RRPs likely to start around $20,000.

All Mahindra vehicles will come with a three-year/100,000km warranty and the company is currently in negotiations with the NRMA to offer a roadside assistance package as well.

TMI Pacific is a subsidiary of the family-owned Tynan Motor Group that currently sells 11 brands including Mazda, Honda, Subaru, Mercedes Benz and Chrysler group products through five sites in Sydney.

Initially, the Mahindra Pik Up will be sold through dealers in NSW -- mostly rural and regional -- with other states to be rolled out through the course of 2007. By the end of the year, Lowe says the company could have up to 50 dealers nationally.

The company currently has 24 vehicles in Australia. They are being evaluated by a group of farmers and used for displays at country shows and field days. The vehicles have already been certified for ADR and meet EEC crash test requirements.

Chairman of the Tynan Motor Group, Michael Tynan, says the company first started discussions with Mahindra back in 2003, which eventually led to the importer showing some vehicles at the recent Orange Field Days to a positive response.

"We showed some vehicles at Orange and surveyed likely buyers. Just as much as finding out what they thought of the Pik Up range, we wanted to find out more about what rural users really want and need in their work vehicles," Tynan told CarPoint.

"A lot of vehicles today have strayed away from being serious, no-frills work machines to becoming more oriented to show. We were pleased to find that many [rural buyers] wanted a return to the basics of a hard-working, keenly-priced ute.

“They don't want it to be rough to drive but they do want it to be easy to maintain, clean and service. That's what the Indians want and get from Mahindra in their SUVs and tractors. I'm confident that we're on the right track with Mahindra," he said.

While the focus for the company will initially be the Pik Up, another potential Mahindra product for Australia is the mid-sized five/seven-seat Scorpio SUV wagon (also pictured --although it would be sold under a different name here as Ford still owns the badge).

Mahindra's entry into the Australian market comes as the company is increasingly looking to a global market with the vehicles already on sale in western markets in Europe and South Africa while it has also just signed a distribution deal for the USA.

Previous vehicles from the sub-continent sold in Australia, including Mahindra, the baby Suzuki Alto hatch sold in the late 1990s and Tata utes (which disappeared last year) have not been successful but according to Tynan, Mahindra will be here for the long haul and the products are now up to global standards.

Looking further into the future beyond the Pik Up and possible Scorpio introductions, there may also be the opportunity to launch passenger cars. One of these might even be the small Renault Logan sedan with the French maker having a joint venture with Mahindra to produce right-hand drive versions of the vehicle for worldwide markets.