New Mahindra Trucks

[Cyclone Jake]

Originally Posted by California

I wish they would send over this one. I think it is called Mahindra Marshall and is diesel powered.

I'm waiting for this one to be imported!



Single cylinder diesel with handlebar steering. Could probably classify it as a motorcycle.

[Scooby074]

Originally Posted by Cyclone Jake

I'm waiting for this one to be imported!


Single cylinder diesel with handlebar steering. Could probably classify it as a motorcycle.

I like that! Its a mahindra too isnt it? I think there was a company importing those TIk TIk? (3 wheeled indian taxi things) into the US reciently but i think they stopped.

Heres what i want. India's answer to the Merc G-wagon. No way i could ever afford a Gwagon but i might be able to pay for this.
...::: Welcome to Force Motors : Products Section :::...

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...04363281948019 Interesting Video. Interesting vehicle. Interesting dialogue

[AchingBack]

Originally Posted by Scooby074

I like that! Its a mahindra too isnt it? I think there was a company importing those TIk TIk? (3 wheeled indian taxi things) into the US reciently but i think they stopped.

Heres what i want. India's answer to the Merc G-wagon. No way i could ever afford a Gwagon but i might be able to pay for this.
...::: Welcome to Force Motors : Products Section :::...

Trax Gurkha & Tempo 290 GTD Interesting Video. Interesting vehicle. Interesting dialogue

I love the way the driver's head looks as though it is going to snap off and fly out of the window.

[rback33]

Farmerboy,

While I don't agree with you assessment, parts are valid, some are not... The labor and overhead rates in India are very similar to the ones we have in the United States. This is a common misconception over here. I am not sure I would be the first in line to buy one even though I personally know the man running the company. I would certainly take one of these over an Avalanche though. To me, the Avalanche is one of the most useless vehicles ever made. It's like the kid that WANTS to be a football player but never realizes he is destined to be the water boy.

[arrow]

Originally Posted by rback33

Farmerboy,

While I don't agree with you assessment, parts are valid, some are not... The labor and overhead rates in India are very similar to the ones we have in the United States. This is a common misconception over here. I am not sure I would be the first in line to buy one even though I personally know the man running the company. I would certainly take one of these over an Avalanche though. To me, the Avalanche is one of the most useless vehicles ever made. It's like the kid that WANTS to be a football player but never realizes he is destined to be the water boy.

I sold Dodge trucks for 20 years. I worked our local auto show this past weekend. Here's what's wrong with the big 3. On stage was a brand new Dodge Hemi 4 dr. p.u. with the Laramie package. It was priced at $43000. About 10-12 years ago, a fully decked out Laramie was $27000. Dakota's can get into the mid 30's easily now. They may put on $3000 worth of rebates and 0% but whoop de doo, the article is still over priced. There was a Suburban for $61000. ( of which you could get $10000 off the price) With the 12 year cancer of prolific credit, these prices were actually made to look feasible. Heck , you can pay for just about anything with enough time and put outlandish things in moving vehicles to help jack up prices as well as making them bigger and bigger. I'd advise to keep buying that 14-15 K Ranger. Maybe they can pop in a diesel eventually and get it under 20 k. As long as they put price tags on stuff that outstrip the average Joe's wages, ( and the average joe is potentially the largest buying segment) they'll never get out of the fix they're in now. Will the big 3 ever wake up? or will we about what credit really is since the Avalanche was one of GM's best sellers.

[arrow]

Originally Posted by rback33

Farmerboy,

While I don't agree with you assessment, parts are valid, some are not... The labor and overhead rates in India are very similar to the ones we have in the United States. This is a common misconception over here. I am not sure I would be the first in line to buy one even though I personally know the man running the company. I would certainly take one of these over an Avalanche though. To me, the Avalanche is one of the most useless vehicles ever made. It's like the kid that WANTS to be a football player but never realizes he is destined to be the water boy.

I sold Dodge trucks for 20 years. I worked our local auto show this past weekend. Here's what's wrong with the big 3. On stage was a brand new Dodge Hemi 4 dr. p.u. with the Laramie package. It was priced at $43000. About 10 years ago, a fully decked out Laramie was 27000. Dakota's can get into the mid 30's easily now. The may put on $3000 worth of rebates and 0% but whoop de doo, the article is still over priced. There was a Suburban for $61000. ( of which you could get $10000 off the price) With the 12 year cancer of prolific credit, these prices were actually made to look feasible. Heck , you can pay for just about anything with enough time and put outlandish things in moving vehicles to help jack up prices. I'd advise to keep buying that 14-15 K Ranger. Maybe they can pop in a diesel eventually and get it under 20 k. As long as they put price tags on stuff that outstrip the average Joe's wages, we'll never get out of the fix we're in now. Will the big 3 ever wake up?

[Dargo]

I'd heard about this coming for almost 2 years now. I haven't bothered to look into it much because it seems to be one of those things you keep hearing about but never see. You know, like the "Chery" Chinese autos that were supposed to be sold here in the 1st quarter of 2008. Anyway, don't forget that Mahindra & Mahindra was who made most of the revered Willy's Jeeps. That is why they are allowed to use the similar grill as a Jeep; they invented that look. Granted, the Willy's Jeeps were built to U.S. specs, but Mahindra & Mahindra had some ability to add their own touch; such as the grill. The original U.S. design was for more of a screen type of grill that would catch more debris. Mahindra & Mahindra argued that the little engines in those Jeeps would overheat at slow speeds (most of their driving) without a pretty open grill design.

I'm not going to sign up and buy one of their first offerings. Based on history, they will have their growing pains here (think Toyota and Honda - that way you won't think I'm slamming the Mahindra pickup) and will have to make significant changes to meet the American wants and needs. I think it will be great to pick one up that is a couple years old and has already lost 60% to 70% of it's original selling price. Again, no knock on their product, just a deduction based on the history of all other manufacturers coming to America.

[Farmerboy]

Originally Posted by rback33

Farmerboy,

While I don't agree with you assessment, parts are valid, some are not... The labor and overhead rates in India are very similar to the ones we have in the United States. This is a common misconception over here. I am not sure I would be the first in line to buy one even though I personally know the man running the company. I would certainly take one of these over an Avalanche though. To me, the Avalanche is one of the most useless vehicles ever made. It's like the kid that WANTS to be a football player but never realizes he is destined to be the water boy.

Not sure about the misconception. I'm in the business of building nuclear power plants all over the globe. A fully burdened engineer in the U.S. goes between $90 and $135 an hour. The same guy in China goes about $40. Which, up until the recent explosion of China's middle class, was at about $25 an hour (or less). Same parallels can be made with Indian labor. For sure, there's no way the hourly labor rates in India are even close to a UAW member in Detroit. Setting aside the argument over cost of goods sold, and ignoring functionality, the larger point here has to do with trade offs. The very existence of "Tradeoffs" is what drives the discipline of marketing. For example, a 12ounce Coke and Pepsi cost the exact same amount from a vending machine. So how do marketers get us to choose one product over the other - simple, they convince us that there are tradeoffs. Some are real (i.e. taste, caloric count etc.) others are not so tangible (social status, appeals to personal ego, etc.). The same principles apply to marketing vehicles. If I've got $25K in my pocket, what do I buy? Given all the tradeoffs presented by the market today (largely due in part to depressed nature of the auto industry), I think rational consumers will have a hard time choosing the new line of Mahindra vehicles and will turn towards something else.

[Redneck in training]

Several years ago while flying to India I talked to an executive from Cummins engines. He said that typical Indian factory employs about four times as many workers than similar factory in England. While everything else being equal. They produce engines in India not because it is cheaper but because it is huge market for diesel generators.

[Renze]

Originally Posted by Redneck in training

He said that typical Indian factory employs about four times as many workers than similar factory in England. While everything else being equal. They produce engines in India not because it is cheaper but because it is huge market for diesel generators.

The company i work for, is lurking to even further outsource production abroad too... I am against it, because it gives a lot of communication and transport hassle, and wont help much, the workers abroad gets payd half of what a worker gets here, but the productivity is a lot lower too, for a variety of reasons.