After a few delays and a great deal of speculations, Mahindra sets it straight in an interview by Dow Jones Newswires as reported by The Wall Street Journal.

While the first few batches of pickups will be assembled in India, Mahindra is planning on getting Navistar to build their TR pickups on one of their US factories. This move will allow Mahindra to avoid the chicken tax, which imposes a 25% tariff on light duty trucks produced outside the US.

“Once we decide to assemble in the U.S., we would look at Navistar’s facilities to see if there’s something available which is right for us and if that works out,” said Pawan Goenka, president of Mahindra’s automotive division. “We will certainly give priority to using Navistar’s facilities.”

Mahindra and Navistar are already working together in two joint ventures in India: one is for trucks and buses and the other is for the diesel engines for the said vehicles. According to Mr. Goenka, contract manufacturing of their pickups will be more cost-effective as compared to buying a factory in the US, since “the investment won’t be more than a few million dollars.”

The Scorpio-based pickups to be sold in the US this year will be imported from India and delivered to US shores starting the 2nd quarter of 2010.

While Mahindra’s US distributor Global Vehicles is still maintaining their silence about the supposed launch of their much-awaited pickup trucks TR20 and TR40, it seems like there will be a delay yet again.

PickupTrucks.com reports that Mahindra will only be starting production late this month or at the start 2010 and will hit showrooms on spring unlike the expected February debut.

Along with this news, they also reported some personnel changes in Global Vehicles’ sales and marketing group. It’s sad that no new press releases have been issued by Global Vehicles despite all these delays that has been happening. The people have been getting more and more anxious because of the lack of news and considering the delays that will most likely happen again next year, it would be nice if Global Vehicles actually gave more updates so that their supporters can plan their next move. Some customers who have held off on buying to wait for the TR20 and TR40’s launch have expressed that they have grown tired of it so hopefully, this new management move will make things happen for them.

Global Vehicles has jusost of the other trucks available in the US market today. With clean-burning engines that produce 30% less greenhouse gases than their counterparts and get 30 miles per gallon on the highway, the Mahindra trucks can give existing truckers or otherwise,  exactly what they need today.

The Mahindra 2-door and 4-door diesel trucks have a 6-speed automatic transmission, electronic stability control, traction control, active rollover mitigation, 4-wheel ABS brakes, and best of all, its turbo diesel engine runs on 140 horsepower and 236 ft-lbs of torque. It also has an amazing payload capacity of 2,765 lbs., better than the standard pickups offered by Ford, Chevy, Toyota, Nissan and Dodge.

It also looks like their February 2010 launch may push through at over 350 dealers nationwide. The Mahindra trucks will be backed by a 4-year/60,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty and all 350 dealers will be servicing the trucks themselves.

Refer to the TR20 and TR40 links at the top of the page for the newly released US specs of the Mahindra diesel trucks.

One look at the Mahindra trucks and you’ll know that they will surely stand out from the rest of the vehicles on the road. But for potential Mahindra TR20 and TR40 owners out there who do not want their trucks to look like everyone else’s, Mahindra does offer a couple of accessories for their present trucks and SUV.

If you frequently pass by dusty roads or foggy areas, you may want to get your vehicle a Mahindra fog lamp kit for safety purposes. Mahindra’s fog lamp kit has lamps that are of the highest quality and will serve you for a long time.

PickupTrucks.com showed a picture of what could be the final US-spec Mahindra TR40 and it had a front bumper guard. This accessory is unique to the US market and is said to be offered as a standard feature so that the TR40 can pass low-speed crash test. However, Mahindra truck and SUV owners outside the United States who want the extra front end protection can get their trucks a bull bar in either a Macho or Aggro finish. The Macho variant comes in a steel finish and the Aggro variant has a powder-coated black finish. For those who would like a matching Roll Over Bar, Mahindra offers it too, not just for the added appeal, but also for extra protection.

Those who love the classy chrome finish will like the Mahindra Chrome Kit, especially for the Mahindra SUV. The chrome kit features a scratch-free finish and thick nickel plating to prevent corrosion. It’s available for the front grille, door handles, side mirrors, tail lamps, tail pipes and front license plate. Mahindra also offers scuff plates for both their truck and SUVs to preserve and protect the sill from any scratches. Made from 100% stainless steel, the scuff plates come in a silver, black or camel finish.

For the interiors, Mahindra offers several types of floor mats for their vehicles. I’m not sure about the printed nylon carpet mats, but they also offer transparent, magnum, vinyl and non-woven variants. Mahindra floor mats are washable and stay put because of the anti-skidding feature. Best of all, they are made to fit every contour in your Mahindra SUV or truck. They also offer durable, fire-resistant and low maintenance seat covers tailored for your Mahindra vehicle. It’s available in beige with gathering, almond, almond-coca, champagne, camel and silver-blue. Mahindra also offers their SUV owners a roof AC for maximum comfort, as well as entertainment systems.

You can get a closer look at some Mahindra accessories here or the Mahindra’s SUV accessories here. Do any of these accessories interest you Mahindra fans?

Although new to the passenger vehicle market in North America, Mahindra & Mahindra is no stranger to the business. Mahindra & Mahindra is actually a major automobile and tractor manufacturer known all over the world. In fact, Mahindra Tractors is among the top three tractor manufacturers in the world and the fourth largest tractor brand in the United States. Customers know Mahindra tractors as high quality, dependable, durable and offer the best value. On the other hand, their automotive business extends to many countries including Australia, China, Spain, South Africa, Egypt, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Guinea, Zaire, Bangladesh, Turkey and Eastern Europe with vehicles that have been widely accepted by various types of customers.

After years of selling passenger vehicles, Mahindra & Mahindra is finally getting ready to enter the US market with the help of their US distributor, Global Vehicles USA. Mahindra & Mahindra is taking their entry to the US market very seriously and diligently worked with various parties and instituted a wide range of modifications only to comply with stringent US standards and be able to strongly compete with numerous auto manufacturers when they finally become available. The launch of their 2-door and 4-door diesel trucks, the first two vehicles they will be offering have been delayed for a few months to ensure the high quality of vehicles US customers expect.

Mahindra & Mahindra vehicles are heavy duty, eco-friendly and fuel-efficient. Entering the US market with the goal of filling a niche that no other auto manufacturer has addressed, Mahindra & Mahindra vehicles will be coming out strong starting next year. As early as now, many people are anxiously waiting to get their hands on Mahindra’s vehicles.

In the past, the Indian automotive industry relied heavily on imported technology, but over the past few years, manufacturers started collaborating with foreign vehicle and component manufacturers to make advancements in the industry. Since they started engaging in product innovation through joint efforts in research and development, a host of opportunities opened up for them.

When Tata Motors introduced the fuel-efficient US$2,250-worth compact car, they gained worldwide recognition for their innovative thinking. And when they acquired the luxury brands, Jaguar and Land Rover, people gave them a second look because now they’ve expanded their market to accommodate a different set of buyers.

On the other hand, Mahindra has been a strong player in the tractor business in America, but the passenger vehicle market is another matter. When Mahindra announced their entry to the US market, very few locals were familiar with their brand. We all know that a fresh player in the automotive business is at a huge disadvantage right off the bat, but when Global Vehicles announced the type of vehicles Mahindra will be offering, people started to take notice. Mahindra is making rugged, dressed down, powerful midsize trucks and SUVs in clean diesel and later hybrid powertrains.

It seems the Indian auto manufacturers will be making a mark in the industry in the next few years mainly because they are making the right decisions. They’re building these amazingly innovative, yet functional niche vehicles that are destined to make money.

In an article at DriveInside.com, Mike Hanley, global automotive leader at Ernst & Young, during a recent visit to India said that this is the perfect time for Indian car makers to enter the US market. He also sees great promise in their expansion, citing the Japanese and Korean car companies’ outcomes. He also suggested capitalizing on the small, fuel-efficient car market because of the highly successful small, “green” cars like the Toyota Prius, especially since India is fast becoming the world’s small-car hub. A lot of foreign and local auto suppliers have established their own manufacturing plants for small-cars in India.

Both Tata Motors and Mahindra are set to enter the US market soon and while it may take years before they can gain significant market share, their efforts in innovation will propel them forward, provided they first get past the challenge of satisfying the preferences and standards of the US market.

PickupTrucks.com just reported that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has given their approval to Mahindra’s intent to use and claim ownership of the names TR20 and TR40 for use in commerce.

We’re slowly inching towards the already delayed US debut of the Mahindra trucks. We’re hoping their crash, durability and emission testing goes well so that they can have a smooth ride to the much awaited launch of the Mahindra midsize trucks in February.

There’s still no news from U.S. distributor Global Vehicles when people can actually take the Mahindra trucks for a ride, but if their earlier announcement remains accurate, the “Mahindra Tour Across America” will happen anytime soon. It seems interest for both the TR20 and TR40 only keeps rising everyday though despite the delays. We reported here that GV-USA and Mahindra will be giving a selected number of people all over the nation a chance to test drive their trucks as they drive across America. As of today, there have already been 13,509 total signups at MahindraNA.com.

Because the US Market will be seeing these trucks for the first time, a lot of people are curious to try these vehicles and depending on how well the Mahindra pickups perform, customers can decide if they actually want one or not.

In addition, there may not be a lot of ready showrooms or dedicated websites for other dealers, but some of the Mahindra dealers are doing their part in marketing the incoming Mahindra brand. if you happen to be one of those people near these dealers, you can probably contact them directly so they may be able to assist you.

DFW Mahindra in Arlington, Texas was one of the first US dealers to construct their website and remains one of the best resources among all available dealer websites in America. Safeway Chevrolet in Burgaw, North Carolina also has a nice website and blog dedicated to Mahindra and is now taking deposits for the trucks. If you live in or around Lansing, Michigan, visit Paradise Motors to sign up for a test drive or receive news and happenings about Mahindra. For those in Little Rock, Arkansas, as well as Hattiesburg, Mississippi, you can get in touch with Mahindra Little Rock and Smith Motor Company of Hattiesburg respectively to inquire, test drive or even reserve one for yourself. The showroom at the newly constructed building for Mahindra Southpointe in Sarasota, Florida will be ready soon and those looking to purchase immediately will find their website pretty useful since they placed a copy of their arriving inventory.

It seems crazy to think that people would just reserve these vehicles without even a test drive but a number of dealers are making reservations possible for the few brave souls willing to take the risk. With the new Mahindra dealerships now taking time to build brand awareness online, it might not be long before they actually become available on the US market.

For more information on the dealers mentioned above, please refer to this Mahindra Dealer Directory we’re working on.

Initially, speculations about the Mahindra trucks referred to them in a variety of names including the Appalachian and Pik-Up. The Appalachian, after the vast mountain range in the eastern US and Pik-Up, from what they’re called in Australia. However, this was quickly put to rest as Mahindra apparently decided to go on another direction and dropped the Appalachian name for an alphanumeric code for both their two-door and four-door trucks. PickupTrucks.com reported that the Indian auto manufacturer filed claims on the names TR20 and TR40 at the US Patent and Trademark Office.

More than the trucks, the Mahindra SUV, known all over the world as the Scorpio may also be getting a name makeover as another automaker, Ford owns the rights to the name in the US. The Mahindra Scorpio has won prestigious awards such as Car of the Year by Business Standard Motoring, Best SUV of the Year and Best Car of the Year by BBC World Wheels. Would the Scorpio have the same fate and be reduced to another alphanumeric code like the trucks?

It could very well be. Reports say the reason Mahindra ditched the Appalachian model name is because they wanted to build brand recognition in a market where they are not very well known. Mahindra will be entering the US auto market for the first time and to highlight their name, they decided to use nondescript codes for their trucks.

Mahindra may not be widely accepted in the US today, but if the delays and additional testing are any indication, they are very serious about making a name for themselves here.

While some people are anticipating the launch of the Mahindra diesel trucks formerly called Appalachian on February next year, a few people are more interested in the diesel hybrids they also announced they would bring to America. Unfortunately, because of the delay in their US debut, it is likely that the introduction of the first diesel hybrid trucks in America will start in 2011 instead of 2010. Global Vehicles said Mahindra told them that the hybrid version will come out one year after the standard diesel version. 2011 seems like a really long time from today, so for now, here are some details to expect about the Mahindra diesel hybrids, just to give you something to look forward to.

Mahindra will be coming out with two-door and four-door mid-size diesel hybrid pickups much like their diesel-only TR20 and TR40 as well as diesel-only and diesel hybrid powertrains for their Scorpio SUV. The diesel hybrids are expected to have better fuel economy than the 30 MPG produced by their diesel-only pickups. Mahindra’s Senior VP for Product Development Dr. Arum Jaura told AutoblogGreen that the diesel hybrids will have a price premium of less than $5,000 above their diesel-only counterparts.

Inside the hood, the mid-size trucks will be equipped with a slightly modified version of the ‘mHawk’ 2.2 liter inline 4-cylinder diesel engine from the Scorpio SUV they introduced in India just recently. Power ratings are expected to be in between 145 to 150 horsepower and approximately 300 foot-pounds of torque. Mahindra developed the ‘mHawk’ with the help of Bosch and AVL to be released in the US later.

Along with a modified ‘mHawk’, the vehicles will have a standard six-speed automatic transmission, as well as a floor mounted console shifter. They will also be equipped with steering wheel mounted paddles so that the gearbox can be manually shifted.

Dr. Jaura is not new to the design of hybrid technology. He used to be Ford’s Head of Vehicle Engineering for the Escape Hybrid Platform before he transferred to Mahindra years later.