A lot of people are aware of the advantages of diesel engines for towing and hauling, as well as in fuel economy. A while back, Ford, GM, Chrysler and Toyota announced their plans to produce trucks powered by modern diesel engines for their half-ton models. When Indian automaker Mahindra expressed their intent to sell diesel trucks in the United States, a great deal of people quickly dismissed them. However, the global economic crisis unexpectedly hit the automotive business. GM and Chrysler went into bankruptcy, while the others postponed their initial plans of creating compact diesel trucks because of last year’s spike in diesel fuel prices. On the other hand, Mahindra stayed strong and pursued their interest in the US market.
Mahindra’s quest to penetrate the highly competitive truck industry will be no easy feat. After all, many people are wary of spending on a vehicle with a brand they don’t know with a parts and service network they’re unsure of the reliability. However, Mahindra is dead set on finding a unique place in the US market, one that has virtually no competitors and with a demand that the other auto manufacturers are unable to address.
The new Mahindra diesel trucks are said to be priced starting at 22,000 and 25,000, for the 2-door and 4-door models respectively. The 2-door alone is marked $6,000 higher than the Toyota Tacoma 2-door pickup, currently the bestselling mid-size pickup in America. Provided that diesel engines indeed cost more to produce, will the light duty pickup buyers be enticed enough to consider the Mahindra models with that price? The Mahindra pickups will be able to haul an extra 1,300 pounds, which is almost twice the capacity the Tacoma can manage. They will also have a 7.5-foot long bed giving customers more bed space and have a payload capacity of 2,700 pounds. The Mahindra pickups will also be getting 20% more fuel economy than their light duty counterparts. But will these numbers be able to compensate for the significant price margin, enough to steal potential Tacoma/Frontier customers away?
Many people are reserving judgment until the actual vehicles become available next year. Although a lot of people think the idea of spending more than $20,000 for a truck made by a brand with no track record is quite scary and almost crazy. But Mahindra Tractors does have a pretty good reputation and people who have experienced owning or driving them will probably be the first buyers of Mahindra trucks. Hopefully, they will get good feedback and prove their reliability, so that Mahindra trucks can eventually become a huge player in the US market.
I really do feel that the price is a little steep. I can see where Mahindra is coming from. If Toyota or Ford built a diesel truck with the same specs it would no doubt be priced at or above what Mahindra is planning. The problem is with buyer uncertainty — which is a real problem considering the way people feel about spending their money at this time. I think Mahindra will find that they will need to offer some pretty serious incentives to get people to pay $22k to $25k for an unknown truck.
It will definitely be interesting to see what happens! I do wish they were under the $20k mark, I think that would be very attractive to people, and I might even be able to buy one!
You have to wonder if price will matter. The TR20/40 will be very unique to the pickup market. 1-ton capacity in a small truck, with diesel power. We haven’t seen this since Toyota brought dually mini-trucks to the US in the 1980’s. Mahindra needs to build some buzz and create a positive spin on the US perception of Indian-made vehicles.
22K for the regular cab? No thanks, I’ll have to pass as I imagine quite a few others will pass as well.
And 25K should completely cover up the hard loaded 4×4 crew cab.
Well, let’s put it this way. Mahindra is selling them for a lot less down in Australia. Why on earth would I be willing to pay more?
The answer, I’m not.
Come on guys… look at the benefits…
1) RELIABILITY One third fewer moving parts to worry about. Less friction=less problems.
2) POWER Torque, pure and unadulterated. ‘Nuff said.
3)FUEL MISER… with V8 torque.
4) SIMPLE SYSTEMS Who needs a dvd navigation in a work/play truck anyway? As for me, I like roll-up windows. (Once you’ve had to escape from a Buick underwater you’ll understand.
4)It WORKS HARD
and finally, if you don’t need a truck like this…. then buy a Tacomacar
I would like to know more specs. Does it have high and low range. whats the trailer capacity? Is the rear diff a full floater or semi floater, does it have limited slips in the base model? is 2 wheel n 4 wheel selectable? does it have a diff lock for the transfer case or what? I have been wanting to see someone build a pickup like this for years. The price is a little high if compared to 1/2 ton or 3/4 ton trucks. If this really has the goods it will compare with 3500’s and 350’s and then the price becomes very competitive if not blowing away the competition.
one other thing they need to change the warrentty to way longer as the market most likely to purchase these trucks will be high mileage and work trucks. so they really need 150,000 miles and 5 year or 6 year
I agree about the warranty. When I read that, it sounds like “that’s almost as good as GM’s warranty”, not “wow, that’s up there with Hyundai, Honda, and Toyota.”
But, still, I’ve been looking for a compact pickup truck with better mileage and better technology than my old Ranger, and the specs on this truck are interesting enough that I hope to test-drive one.