Indian automakers aim to eat Detroit's lunch

[ToadHill]

What is pictured is the crew cab model, last year they had pictures of the 2 passenger full size bed model and it looked a lot like my old Datsun pickup, hooks on the bed toprail and all. If it is as dependable as the Datsun they'll have a winner.

[Scooby074]

Heres a pic of the 2Dr for comparison.

I welcome a compact with great milage. My toyota tacoma is compact, but the fuel milage isnt much better than a fullsize (19 vs. 18 MPG). I love the small size, but the milage stinks. If i could get a compact and great milage its a win-win.

[BungeeII]

Global Vehicles hopes the trucks' unique features will appeal to cost-conscious but open-minded truck buyers.

Count me out.

[EFC]

Originally Posted by BungeeII

Count me out.

We will scratch you off the list....NEXT!

[Redneck in training]

Originally Posted by Scooby074

30MPG diesel for 10K. Thats what im talking about. THeres a market for that. Not everybody has the means to plunk down 50K for a big3 diesel.I think it will be a success if theyre tough and people give them a chance.

The Indian models don't resemble the pics in previous entries at all. They are slow and have no pulling power I suppose. 55 mph for 2.5l 4inL atmospheric and 60 mph for turbo. On the other hand I saw them unbelievably overloaded.

[Skyco]

Originally Posted by MDM

From the article - "Mahindra is already one of the biggest-selling tractor manufacturers in the American market".

When did this happpen? I thought Mahindra was fighting with all the others brands over the 5-10% of the market left over from Deere, Kubota and New Holland. Who knows how this will work out, but man, that is one ugly vehicle.

Another screwy statement in that article-
"Currently, diesel engines are used only in the biggest pickups sold in America, ones intended for strictly commercial use."
Really? I'd just about bet most diesel pickups aren't "strictly commercial use".

I also wonder if it is a stick at the mentioned price range. I'd venture to say most people under 30 haven't ever driven a stick, don't have a clue how to either.

Still, I'd certainly give it a look, the price and mileage would be very tempting, although it would be too small and underpowered for many of my truck needs, 95% of my use is trailer hauling in the 7000 to 14,000 lb range.

[Lunk]

Originally Posted by Skyco

Another screwy statement in that article-
"Currently, diesel engines are used only in the biggest pickups sold in America, ones intended for strictly commercial use."
Really? I'd just about bet most diesel pickups aren't "strictly commercial use".

I also wonder if it is a stick at the mentioned price range. I'd venture to say most people under 30 haven't ever driven a stick, don't have a clue how to either.
Still, I'd certainly give it a look, the price and mileage would be very tempting, although it would be too small and underpowered for many of my truck needs, 95% of my use is trailer hauling in the 7000 to 14,000 lb range.

Initially, they will be offered with a 5 spd auto only (too bad...).

I think that the current crop of small trucks has gotten away from what was appealing in the first place - small size, utility, low price, and fuel economy. Do we really need a 260+ hp in a "small" truck??? Every year they make them bigger, and more powerful (and way more expensive!). My brother has a Nissan Frontier crew-cab 4x4. It's a **** nice truck, but almost 30k???

To think that manufacturers wonder why the sales have tanked...All the companies around here that used to run "mini" trucks exclusively now run full-size, with very little trade-off in price and/or mileage...

YIKES!

[jas67]

Originally Posted by Lunk

Initially, they will be offered with a 5 spd auto only (too bad...).

I think that the current crop of small trucks has gotten away from what was appealing in the first place - small size, utility, low price, and fuel economy. Do we really need a 260+ hp in a "small" truck??? Every year they make them bigger, and more powerful (and way more expensive!). My brother has a Nissan Frontier crew-cab 4x4. It's a **** nice truck, but almost 30k???

To think that manufacturers wonder why the sales have tanked...All the companies around here that used to run "mini" trucks exclusively now run full-size, with very little trade-off in price and/or mileage...

YIKES!

Maybe this might force the hands of the other mfgs to offer diesels in F150-class trucks. They don't need the torque of the current diesels offered in the RAM 2500 and F250 Super Duty, but a 4-cyl. Cummins in a RAM 1500, or a smaller Power Stroke in an F150 would offer great fuel economy, while still having respectable torque for towing. This would also go a long way towards meeting the upcoming fuel economy requirements.

[BungeeII]

Originally Posted by Skyco

Another screwy statement in that article-

If you read through the whole article, there's a lot of "screwy" statements.

From headline to footnotes, that article gets an "F". Stating that diesels are used only for commercial vehicles shows ignorance by the writer. The Montana trucks that are bound for America might just be the cat's pajamas, but that article does nothing more than fuel my skepticism.

[srjones]

Originally Posted by BungeeII

The Montana trucks that are bound for America might just be the cat's pajamas, but that article does nothing more than fuel my skepticism.

Are you sure you're in the right forum? I think it's fair to say you're torqued by the article's title...

I think the article has a valid point, though. Mahindra is filling a market need that isn't being met. Can anyone point me to a compact diesel truck sold in the US today? Win or lose, my hat's off to Mahindra for giving it a try.