Well, that took long enough.

Glad to see they are still progressing forward. This is the first I've read about using UREA, was that revealed by the EPA?

"Mahindra's relationship with Global Vehicles Inc (GV) has ended, the agreement dated 26th September 2006 between Mahindra and GV having terminated."

http://mediacube.mahindra.com/Latest%20Press%20Releases/Press%20Note%20-%20Mahindra%20and%20Mahindra.aspx

@Barracuda: Saw that too this morning. I just spoke with Max Butler, vp of marketing at GV USA. He says that's not correct. Working that story too. Stay tuned.

For anyone wondering why Ford, GM, and Chrysler have put on hold plans to sell 1/2 ton and smaller diesels, Mahindra is the reason. If these trucks actually manage to sell, despite the unknown brand, Indian heritage, and questionable styling, the American manufacturers will have indisputable evidence the buying public is ready and willing to spend money on small diesels. Mahindra is the experiment.

@ Luke

You're either on something or on to somehting. I guess what other reason would folks buy one of these things. Not for looks, not cause they see on and just got to have it.... In fact I can't think of any reason why anyone would want one? Unless they are just that much cheaper.?

I saw that article too. When I see a non WSJ or Bloomberg news item from India, I always hesitate a bit.

The good news is that GV and Mahindra must be coming to some kind of agreement.

@CR, GV sent out a consumer questions sheet to dealers this week. They are still claiming that prices will start in the low-$20,000 range. http://mahindratruckforum.com/forums/general-truck-forum/1458-any-questions.html

I hope the paint on their pickup holds up better than their tractors. I was at a farm equipment dealer earlier this summer to pick up some mower parts & looked at the new Mahindra tractors on the lot. Apparently most of them had been there for a while sitting outside. The red paint was fading out to a dark pink color. Who wants this on a tractor, let alone a pickup?

I want one, badly!
Bring 'em, Mahindra!

I hope they sell tons and tons of these things. I wont buy one, but it may be enough to get GM to build me a 4.5L Diesel in a 1/2 ton.

I sold my F-150 because it just was not cost effective to commute with. The idea of getting truck utility and 30+mpg highway really appeals to me. As I picked up a little jetta TDI to get to work and back and 43/45 mpg is pretty addicting

The styling is the biggest thing I just cant get my head around on the Mahindra. If the Mahindra can be like the old toyota trucks with clean but spartan interiors and rock solid durability I think they will do well

I just keep thinking that this could be the diesel Hilux we never got. I hope they're built right.

As much as I hated the Mahindra truck originally, I never realized how much the lil ugly bugger can haul. According to one of the articles here, GM plans to return to their small truck roots. Hopefully they are paying close attention to this thing... and not going with that unibody thing in... was it Brazil?

wonder if Jeep going to sue them? got the same grill 7 slots.

They still have a long way to go.

How is it that an Indian tractor manufacturer can build a diesel powered pickup to sell in the USA , but the biggest auto makers in the world GM , Ford , Dodge , Toyota and Nissan cant or wont do it ?

Taylor, I think the big (3) are just not offering those trucks for some reason, my bets are profit margin. Look at Ford for instance, killing the little ranger then having the attitude that previous ranger owners can just buy an F150, bet they buy something like this Mahindra of Toyota/Nissan trucks instead. Ford has good diesel engines in the rest of the world, but here in the USA....everything has to be "the bigger the better", therefore you have to purchase a 7K pound rig to navigate around to just get a diesel engine in them. I know that in Australia you can purchase a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, just like the ones here, except get a diesel engine in it. Hell, my wifes Hyundai sonata is offered in Europe with a 2.0L diesel engine, the car looks Identical as the one she has, except much better fuel economy. Govt may have something to do with this as well......

Has it passed crash tests yet? If so,I would love to see a You Tube clip of it.I can only imagine that front bumper being pushed up where the dash should be (was)....

the fuel economy would be good, but I know when driving one, when you get blown away by an EcoBoost F150, you will be reminded that for not that much more money you could have had one of those. You will have to lie to yourself about how you don't really care about performance, handling, comfort, towing, safety, appearance ... Though I admit, the Mahindra does have its place. It would be alright if it was spending most of it's time off-road.

"Has it passed crash tests yet? If so,I would love to see a You Tube clip of it.I can only imagine that front bumper being pushed up where the dash should be (was)...."

We need these kind of trucks here, maybe not mahindra's, but the size with a diesel power plant is optimal, so they bring it....and you cannot say anything that is not facetious? Negativety a little bit? Why would it do any worse than a Colorado, ranger, Frontier, Tacoma, Canyon, Suzuki equator, etc? I could care less for the style, but maybe it would get the US auto makers to quit making the trucks larger and heavier and actually IMPROVE the fuel economy.

@Red_4x4: Check Mahindra's in Australia. Terrible results in govt crash tests, their consumers avoid them like the plague. It ain't negativity, it's common sense.

"Check Mahindra's in Australia. Terrible results in govt crash tests, their consumers avoid them like the plague. It ain't negativity, it's common sense. "

No problem, understood. Thanks for the reply. Had no Idea that they were that horrible. But, coming from someone who has them in their country or seen videos, I will take your word for it.

@Ken, I heard the same thing. Not being received very well at all down under. I see it as more of an alternative to a Gator, than a pickup truck.

R.U.P.U

Really Ugly Pick Up

2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 News Flash: "The Mahindra P/U truck is coming to the USA." As Biden sez, "BFD". This truck entry has been on/off more than Brett Favre's retirement.

Ugly that's the first word describing this piece of crap @ 22000 it's not a realistic price way too high.
But for some I think it make sense hopefully.

Hopefully the 2011 has far better crash protection than the 07 model. Want to see how bad it was? Search "bJBidyh3CNQ" at youtube.

How is it that an Indian tractor manufacturer can build a diesel powered pickup to sell in the USA , but the biggest auto makers in the world GM , Ford , Dodge , Toyota and Nissan cant or wont do it ?
Posted by: Taylor

-----------

Who says Ford/GM etc can't or won't do it?

all i keep hearing from mahindra is 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, december 2010, after december 2010, 2011??????

Until Mahindra starts selling one here they aren't doing it either.

Peace.

"I see it as more of an alternative to a Gator, than a pickup truck."

heh, but a gator costs half as much

Well, no matter what the news has been on the delay of the launch and their issues with GV - one would have to consider that they are 1st Asian manufacturer in diesel powered vehicles category to get an EPA Tier2 Bin5 certification. Only Mercedes, BMW and VW/ Audi have similar certifications.
Also they are developing the pickup for the first time for US and hence one would have imagined alot of troubles for them, hence.
BTW they recently bought majority stake in REVA (Indian Tesla) which is bound to have a rub off effect on the Greener technologies they would be able to offer to consumers across the world...

I am new to this blog.... so take my words with pinch of salt...

3 reasons why diesel power /torque fuel economy seeing foriegn markets with small quad cabs
them are the reasons i am buying one

@William Olson: "wonder if Jeep going to sue them? got the same grill 7 slots." I think they don't, because Mahindra's PikUps are restyled/ lifted Jeep Comanche...

you'd be a fool to buy this truck when the new V-6 full size trucks from the big three can get over 24 mpg.

Just not ready for prime time. It looks like a product stuck in long ago from a far off place. The only thing it has is a diesel engine but nothing else to make me want to be seen in it much less drive it daily or work 10 hours a day in it. Maybe some buyers will buy them and hide them on the farm. We make the best trucks on the planet and with Ford's new engines coming and the updates that will surely follow from the others and the cost of diesel running so high and the price point of this thing - this is a novelty to me at best.

So maybe this truck will be in next years HD shootout. LOL

hey red 4x4

the reason you can get pretty much every vehicle in the rest of the world as gas or disel is because i heard recently gas goes for about 2$ a litre in the european union. diesel hovers around a dollar. with escalating gas prices and reasonable diesel the only way alot of these manufactuers can sell a vehicle is to offer it as a fuel efficient diesel. here while although people may complain, theyll still buy a gasoline powered car. in europe where everything is close having no car beats spending most of your pay check on fuel for youre car.

Nice article on future plans for mahindra

http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/local-edge-global-plans/405380/

@TRVdot:

yeah, that makes sense. I just don't understand that while this country here imports 40% of its oil from other countries (mostly from NA continent), why we don't move towards better fuel economy on our trucks.

Is 24MPG in full size truck really"excellent" these days.... yeah, but IMHO they could do better. But then you would have the crybabies whining that they cannot pull 11K lbs once in a lifetime with their F150 either, or overtake a sports car at the entrance ramp on a freeway, or drag race their "WORK TRUCK" on saturday nights. What I really don't understand is why the big three don't offer a viable, decent FE midsize crew cab truck with some reliability.

As one poster mentioned and I quote "you'd be a fool to buy this truck when the new V-6 full size trucks from the big three can get over 24 mpg.", while this "may be" true....not every one wants to navigate a 5K+ pound rig around in traffic, parking lots, etc. With our trade deficit in this country, I cannot for the life of me, understand why GOVT and the US auto industry cannot figure out a viable solution to our situation on our fuel consumption.

Regarding this Mahindra, most people do not care for its looks, myself included. But, at least they are on the right track, with a good idea in mind. I would pay 22-25K for a better styled truck in this same category (small, efficient diesel) with 30+ MPG (tacoma for instance), I mean...what's to lose? Say a toyota tacoma sized truck with a 2.2 liter diesel in it would be excellent.

An F150 with a 3.3-3.7L diesel would be optimal for me as well. Both would do well, so why not? Why mess with this TT 3.5 EB motor when we could go the next step up and go for a similar sized diesel? I think we here in America have forgot what trucks are for, hence all the bickering about how fast they are, how much HP they got, etc. I got my hopes up that Ford would put the 3.7L V-6 in a 4x4 Ext Cab F150 so I could upgrade from my supercrew 5.4L (I know, power wise no upgrade, but from a practicle standpoint, very much so), but of course they chose to put a pricier V-8 infront of the 4x4, why not the option I want? I want a 4x4 with decent fuel economy, isn't the size of a frieght train, and can fit in a normal parking spot.

@ red 4x4 You make some vey good comments. But I think that another big reason for poeple not accepting diesels in any thing but HD trucks is that most people still have the impresion that diesels stink, are noisy, and hard to start in cold weather. Alot of HD diesel owners also modify thier trucks, hence even alot of the new diesels are loud and make alot of smoke. My wifes grandpa and father are both anti diesel. They have a farm and will only own diesels if that is the only option such as farm machinery. The reason? Diesel exhaust smells and they don`t want their stuff smelling like it. So they deal with poor fuel mileage from their gas engines. I recently bought a 93 3/4 ton Ram diesel. They couldn`t believe it and said our holiday trailer would smell like diesel and blah blah blah. My truck has some pretty smelly exhaust and our trailer has a large panel in the front that folds out for a bed and a large number of windows. Lots of places for exhaust to get in. But it doesn`t smell, not even a little. To which they were quite surprised. Diesels have come leaps and bounds since 93 but opions can be very hard to change. This is by far the best truck I have ever owned. Huge power, huge fuel mileage, tons of room. An excellent towing rig.

red 4x4, if you rarely haul anything why not just use an economy car and buy a hitch and trailer?
the small trucks aren't much less metal and have never gotten great mileage. if the new fords get 24mpg on paper a careful driver can beat that easily. another thing no one mentions is our diesel emissions are stricter than europe's who happen to suffer a lot of acid rain because of their loose emissions. let's keep our air clean.

@Red_4x4 I think you have hit the nail on the head.Diesels produced by the "Big 3" have a hefty margin tagged onto the price. Last thing they want is cheaper diesel vehicles undercutting their production . Not that Mahindra will do that, but a lack of a "Chicken Tax" on diesels from Europe could cause a lot of strife.
@JD-shifty The US has a different diesel regulation not more stringent. US developed diesels by the "Big 3"do not meet Euro V regulations in Europe, which are much harder on CO2. The Japanese now have the most stringent in the World , about the same as the US for nitride and much tougher than even the Europeans on CO2.

red 4x4

i see where youre coming from but actually in north america, most people dont mind navigating a 5k pound vehicle around traffic and have no problem with getting 24mpg. the reason the big three have no trucks in the small diesel market it is because most people have no problem buy the bigger rigs, have no problem parking in the back corner of the parking lot. if you need to haul a conventional towing style camper and want a small diesel im sure the new volkswagen suvs come with a tdi that gets excellent fuel economy and can still tow a small camper.

im pretty sure you can get a 3.7L v6 with the 4x4 but only ext cab not super crew, and you might have to live without some of the creature comforts
is that a tradeoff youre willing to make for fuel economy??

What about the cost to fill up on urea? A urea fill-up for a Mercedes Benz Diesel pretty much negates the improved mileage. Would it be something that could be done aftermarket? The MB is a dealer only proposition, thereby making it necessary to live near a dealership. The car will not run when the urea tank is empty, for the sake of the pollutants that might be produced to get you home, or even off the roadway.

but ugly call me what you may but I couldnt bring myself to not buy American but the whole idea of this truck is amazing give me a diesel mini ram or 1500 w/ under 5liter cummins!

I amazed at the "people have negative views on diesel's" quote's on here. Maybe true if you're a baby boomer used to 80's diesels. There are huge internet forums on diesel swaps in every type of vehicle. The VW diesels sell like crazy here. 4 cyclinder cummins command a premium on ebay. I love how with the current US auto financial situations that anti diesel folks are saying it's not what people want. They aren't listening!!! Wow, a truck that can tow a boat and gets 30 mpg, what crazy person would want something like that. I was in the ag business for a decade, we hated having gas engines on our equipment. The diesel tractors/ mowers and utility vehicles were considered the premier equipment in the fleet.

EPA certification is a big event. It now takes Mahindra from what I have assumed to be a possibility to now a foregone conclusion. It is real. Yes they have a lawsuit to get over but now their intentions are solidified at least in my mind.

I find this to be a remarkable story. Who would enter a segment that has declined so drastically? Who would be the first to launch a diesel in a compact pickup? Why aren't the big boys there first?

We can create any theories we want as to why Detroit and Japan have avoided a small diesel engine, but franklly I do not care. I give Mahindra tons of credit for having the guts to be there first, and to try to resurrect a segment that used to be huge, and that used to represent the best of efficiency and workhorse. Mahindra gets the segment back to its roots.

I will believe the info around this truck when it actually makes it to these shores for sale. Until then it is nothing but a small foreign pickup that looks like it was created for the 1980's that is not for sale here.

TRVdot:
you make a good point. Thanks. And as far as a trade off from "creature comforts" and fuel economy and power, yes sir...I am willing to trade off. The reason is: I don;t use my truck as a travel vehicle, we use my wife's car for that. The only time I use the truck is for camping and going to the beach or something, and of course hauling fire wood, bicycles, etc. So, creature comforts are not as important to me. The only thing I care to have is electric windows and A/C (here in south east texas it gets hot).

Jordan L:
Thanks, I like the I6 cummins the best. I am a ford guy usually, but I would take a Cummins over the powerstroke. Diesels have come along way in efficiency and emmissions.

JD-shifty:
lol, we have a Hyundai Sonata 3.3L V-6 (wife's ride), but the tongue weight alone on my lowboy trailer (3-400 lbs) exceeds the tongue wieght her car is rated for with a hitch. I took your remark as a joke (or in jest) :) But thanks for the laugh. I agree, we do need to keep our air clean, but since I work for a european company, I can assure you they are more "green" than us here in the USA, hence why they have electric trains and the like. I am happy with 24 MPG in a full size, please don't confuse as I am disappointed. But, IMHO, I think the american auto industry is holding out for some reason (special interests maybe?), not sure.

Mark:
Agreed there sir. Mahindra has the right idea, they need to work on their crash ratings and styling cues though, but 30 MPG for a truck that will tow 5000 lbs and haul 2700 lbs, wonderful, novel idea IMHO.