Loose Grasp Of Reality?: Mahindra Marketing VP Says Trucks in US By End of Year

The Hindu Business Line published an (undated) interview with Vivek Nayer, Senior Vice President of Marketing (Automotive) Mahindra & Mahindra, this morning.

When questioned on what products will be sold in the US and what the strategy was, Nayer comes off as having lots of confidence, but with little clue about the US market and Mahindra’s launch here.

“The US launch will be by the end of the year. Initially, it will be the Scorpio pick-up which is called the Mahindra pick-up there. Later, the SUV (sports utility vehicle). Compared to the fuel guzzlers available there, ours is not one. Besides, ours is a medium SUV compared with their big SUVs. Secondly, we have the advantage of a diesel product. Diesel is catching on because diesel technology has progressed a lot. The torque is better in a diesel vehicle. So, depending on the application, we are pretty sure that we will create our own niche out there.” – Vivek Nayer, Senior Vice President of Marketing (Automotive) Mahindra & Mahindra

Curiously, Nayer tells the interviewer that the pickup will be called Mahindra Pick-Up in the US, not TR20 and TR40 as many Americans have become familiar with. This also corresponds with Mahindra’s failure to formally register the trademark names Mahindra TR20 and Mahindra TR40 with the US Patent and Trademark Office.

Apparently Nayer is also unaware that several other well-established manufacturers do compete in the mid-size pickup and SUV categories in the United States. He seems to believe that the only vehicles in the market are fuel guzzling, big SUVs. Mahindra’s VP of Marketing may be in for a wake up call when the vehicles eventually launch here.

Note again that this is an undated interview from this Indian source. For the entire interview, click here: We are sure we will create our own niche in the US: Mahindra