Mahindra 4x4 pickup

[Herbie]

All those of you who think this Hind...truck, is worthy of Importation into the USA please raise your hand! Raise It!

And just where do you think your USA Dollar goes?


Enough importation of junk from Other Countries Already! And Just Why do we Allow It>?!!!!

Why don't we just build it here in the USA>?!!!

This screed brought to you by the owner of a Toyota 4Runner. Which was assembled, according to Wikipedia, in Tahara, Aichi, Japan.

Bearing in mind that the stated long-term plan for Mahindra is for US-based assembly (admittedly of Knock-down kits, at least near-term).

I'm not old enough to have experienced the same initial shock and outrage when the Japanese began sending cheaper cars to our shores, but I AM old enough to remember the lot of very similar sounding anti-Japanese rhetoric that was still being slung about. I remember the oil crisis of the '70s and die-hard "buy American" folks wondering why anyone would by that junky little Honda CVCC, and why if someone wanted a lightweight 4-cylinder runabout they didn't or couldn't buy American.

Its easy to call someone Un-American for buying a Japanese car in the late '70s or early '80s, just as you could say the same about an Indian marque today. But in my mind, this is the most American way we can behave. Americans have a 200+ year history of taking the best deal we can get from whoever is offering. Not 10 years after WWII ended we were importing cars from Germany at a rate that rebuilt their national economy to a massive degree. We have traded with Britain and France almost continuously for this countries entire existence despite numerous conflicts both armed and political. Globalization is happening. Its a messy, painful process that means jobs gained in one country are lost elsewhere (often here), and perhaps on a macro-scale it would be better for the USA if we bought more products built in the USA. However on a micro-scale, the individual consumer, its a hard thing for most people to place nationalism above consumerism.

Your question is a valid one: "Why don't we just build it here in the USA>?" But that's not a question you ask consumers, that's a question you ask the automakers. The answer is either "Because we don't think we can build one profitably." or "We're too friggen stupid.". I'm not sure which is more true, but in the absence of any competing products, consumers will buy the product they believe will best fit their needs.

Don't be mad at the people in this thread for having an interest in what may be the ONLY compact diesel 4x4 pickup available for sale.

 

[RMP&O]

It is made in India....that is why I personally don't like it. Not because it is an Indian product for sale in the USA or that it is not a USA made product. No I don't like it because I have serious doubts a good quality truck can be made in India. The design may be good and same for the concept but what about the materials that make up the truck?

I will just wait and see how these do over a 5+Yr period after they have been sold in the USA. I may be wrong, maybe they can make a good quality vehicle in India.

 

[ignorant]

It is made in India....that is why I personally don't like it. Not because it is an Indian product for sale in the USA or that it is not a USA made product. No I don't like it because I have serious doubts a good quality truck can be made in India. The design may be good and same for the concept but what about the materials that make up the truck?

I will just wait and see how these do over a 5+Yr period after they have been sold in the USA. I may be wrong, maybe they can make a good quality vehicle in India.

How many indian and chinese parts are on your toyota? You would be surprised at how much casting and machining work is being done there. Hell Sikorsky just signed a JV with Tata to make heliocopters there and Cummins has been in with Tata for many years.

http://www.sundaram-clayton.com/ <--- They make parts for everyone..

I used to work in automotive in new product development. I've seen some horrid shops in the third world, I've also seen some so clean you could eat off the machines...

Capitalism rules.. Best for the cheapest..


FWIW... A company that makes awesome tractors and a diesel CJ2-3 copy can't be all that bad.. I mean who dosen't want one of these..

 

[Overland Hadley]

Looks like there will be a dealer about 120 miles from me. (Also the closest city for me, so I am there for supplies now and again) Going to check the truck out when I get a chance.

Amazing payload, good MPG, good approach angle. The departure angle is not that great though.

 

[blakesrover]

A good friend of mine has owned the 4 door pik up down in Nicaragua. I've driven the 2.2l and it has plenty of power. It's a great vehicle in third world countries where pot holes and dirt road driving are a way of life.

 

[lubega]

Mahindra

Your question is a valid one: "Why don't we just build it here in the USA>?" But that's not a question you ask consumers, that's a question you ask the automakers. The answer is either "Because we don't think we can build one profitably." or "We're too friggen stupid.". I'm not sure which is more true, but in the absence of any competing products, consumers will buy the product they believe will best fit their needs.

Don't be mad at the people in this thread for having an interest in what may be the ONLY compact diesel 4x4 pickup available for sale.

You’re absolutely right. At the end of the day globalization is about what makes most business sense. Importing a vehicle has nothing to do with being un-American. And believe me, I’d be more than happy to buy a rugged, compact diesel-powered workhorse from GM, Chrysler or Ford. But unfortunately, as you rightly point out, there is currently no product that fits this description. Forget the ‘may be,’ part of your comment, when they arrive the TR20 and TR40 will in fact be the ONLY compact diesel pickups.

 

[haven]

The USA distributor for Mahindra and Mahindra, John Perez, now reports
that all the testing to certify the TR20 and TR40 pickups has been completed,
and the results have been submitted to EPA for approval. The approval process
takes about 30 days, so by the end of May, the M&M pickup should be legal
for sale in USA.

It's not known how quickly vehicles will arrive at dealers after the approval is received.
So Deafdrummer's report of sales starting in June is looking golden.

http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2010/04/report-mahindra-still-marching-towards-unknown-sales-date.html

 

[Scenic WonderRunner]

"Screed".......huh Herbie?

How kind of you! No.....How Nasty! Stop being Nasty to me...Herbie!!

I never said I was mad at anyone in this thread. And if you are going to quote me....quote ALL of it!

My frustration is, that we don't just build it right here in the U.S.A. .....! We can. You all know we can build it here!


Go ahead and send your US Dollars off shore to India if you like....Herbie!

All I am guilty of, is rescuing a fine piece of Toyota History from the junk pile and keeping it alive! It was already here!


Amazing!


.

 

[AmericaOverland]

My frustration is, that we don't just build it right here in the U.S.A. .....! We can. You all know we can build it here!

Go ahead and send your US Dollars off shore to India if you like....Herbie!

So, what do you plan to do? We need someone with action, the money to make it happen. First, we have to do something with the government that has acted as our unwelcome nanny in the auto industry. Take care of the excess regulations, and businesses will start to come back here.

 

[huntsonora]

I'll just copy and paste my post from the other Mahindra thread.

I pulled into a rest stop today to get a bottled water from the cooler in the bed of my truck and I saw a Mahindra parked there. I feel bad as I noticed he was about to pull out and I waved him down.

He was a test driver for the truck and has put 60k on it so far. He said there are 5 test drivers in and around Denver and that they have 3 Indian engineers on hand going over the trucks daily just to make sure everything is right. He said they are hoping to start selling them towards the end of summer

The truck itself is a little bigger than I was anticipationg. The truck he was driving was a crew cab short box and the interior looked fairly roomy given the size of the truck. The interior is not flashy by any means but it's not ugly, just simple. It was an automatic and it's a center console type shifter on it. The front seats were buckets but unless the seats had an armrest built in there wasn't one in that truck which for me would suck. The back seat looked as if I could fit and I'm 6'4" and 240lbs. I'm sure it wouldn't be the greatest in comfort but I could have fit.

He said he really likes the truck overall, said the little diesel is a great engine and he really likes the tranny. He said that the suspension wasn't the greatest and that the bumpers were not that stout. It looked like he was actually using it, I could tell he had driven it over some ranch roads.

All in all I was impressed with what I saw. I'm sure that if it makes it to market somebody will make some suspension upgrades for it.

Best part, he gets over 30mpg

 

[Ryanmb21]

Over 30 MPG :Wow1:

 

[Navman]

Over 30 MPG :Wow1:

With 19 gallon tank = almost 600 mile range


.

 

[AmericaOverland]

Sorry guys. This just in from Matthew at Safeway Chevrolet...

Hey Gang,

This past week we've read several reports online saying everything from Mahindra would be here by June to NEXT summer. All of it was just online rumors and speculation.

Late yesterday afternoon a story broke from the Wall Street Journal. Here is an article from Pickuptrucks.com on the story. (You must be a subscriber to WSJ to read the original article)

The U.S. launch of Mahindra's Indian-built small diesel pickup trucks has been pushed back yet again, from this spring to December 2010, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.
Pawan Goenka, Mahindra's president of automotive operations, reaffirmed that the TR20 and TR40 compact trucks have completed all of the testing required to meet federal requirements but still require certification from the Environmental Protection Agency before they can go on sale in the U.S. That's expected to happen by the end of July but production won't start until this fall.

Repeated delays have become the norm for Mahindra and its U.S. distributor Global Vehicles USA.

The full article can be seen here:
http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2010/0...cks-in-us-delayed-again-to-december-2010.html

 

[Maddmatt]

Sorry guys. This just in from Matthew at Safeway Chevrolet...

Hey Gang,

This past week we've read several reports online saying everything from Mahindra would be here by June to NEXT summer. All of it was just online rumors and speculation.

Late yesterday afternoon a story broke from the Wall Street Journal. Here is an article from Pickuptrucks.com on the story. (You must be a subscriber to WSJ to read the original article)

The U.S. launch of Mahindra's Indian-built small diesel pickup trucks has been pushed back yet again, from this spring to December 2010, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.
Pawan Goenka, Mahindra's president of automotive operations, reaffirmed that the TR20 and TR40 compact trucks have completed all of the testing required to meet federal requirements but still require certification from the Environmental Protection Agency before they can go on sale in the U.S. That's expected to happen by the end of July but production won't start until this fall.

Repeated delays have become the norm for Mahindra and its U.S. distributor Global Vehicles USA.

The full article can be seen here:
http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2010/0...cks-in-us-delayed-again-to-december-2010.html

Sound similar to what happened to Crosslander - same guys, same problem, same ending - only the parts have changed. Still waiting for my crosslander.

 

[JamesDowning]

I'm really excited about these trucks. A midsize pickup with a crewcab and a diesel sounds REALLY impressive. I'm glad the US is getting some Diesel options.

The flimsiness of the bumpers don't bother me either... they'd get replaced immediately. I could see ARB and others jumping on this product pretty quick. Anyone know about diff locks being available?