Mahindra & Mahindra to sell diesel pickups in Chrysler and Ford dealerships

Mahindra & Mahindra pickup

We briefly reported last week that a Chrysler dealer in Detroit has agreed to start selling small pickup trucks made by India”s Mahindra & Mahindra. Chrysler’s move to cut 789 dealers from its dealership network has provided the Indian automaker and truck manufacturer to enter the U.S. market fairly quickly.

Another retailer in Detroit, Tibor Gyarmati of Mt. Clemens, will join Gus Russo of Lochmoor to sell their first Mahindra compact pickups this fall. Dough North of North Brothers Ford in Westland will also join the Mahindra network.

“One door closes, and another one opens,” Russo told the Free Press. “What really attracted me is that every engine they have is a clean-burning diesel. You can fill up in Detroit and drive to New York City before you have to fill up again.”

Mahindra is looking to sell 45,000 trucks in its first 12 months in the U.S. through a network of 300 dealers. The Indian company is also looking to sell a small SUV in fall 2010. Russ said he expects pricing of the 2.2L diesel pickups to fall between $13,000 and $15,000.

Mahindra eventually plans to assemble them through a contract manufacturing partner in the United States by mid-2010.

– By: Omar Rana

Source: Free Press