Mahindra and Mahindra XYLO
Showing posts with label Mahindra and Mahindra. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mahindra and Mahindra. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
M Low-Cost Tractor to Debut in June
Date & Place 18/12/2008 ,The Hindu Business Line
Mahindra & Mahindras ultra low-cost tractor, tipped to be the Nano version of tractors, is scheduled to be launched in June 2009. According to top sources, it could be priced a little over Rs 1.5 lakh which will make it the least expensive product in this segment. The average price of a tractor ranges upwards from Rs 3 lakh.
M&M has reportedly already developed a few prototypes which have been delivered to farmers for testing. The biggest challenge for such a project is costing and the people involved with the project are pulling out all stops to make the final price tag a reality.
The production cost per unit is still slightly higher than the internal target set by the company. At present, it is slightly upwards of Rs 20,000 but metal prices have fallen and that augurs well, in terms of input costs, sources said.
The tractor is intended for use in small holding where farmers can only afford the traditional oxen pulling a cart to till the land. It would still be an expensive option to this user segment but M&M could kick off some unique finance schemes with banks to make lending easy.
Interestingly, the low-cost option is not too uncommon in interior Gujarat where small vendors assemble basic tractors. The company hopes to sell at least 5,000 units in the first year, going upwards to 25,000 from the second year. Sources say there is immense potential for the product given that market penetration in India is a mere 19 out of 1,000 farmers in India. Affordability is the key in the farm segment where delayed rains or excessive flooding can wreak havoc and postpone buying.
To that extent, the tractor sector is not the easiest of businesses because it is a regular roller-coaster ride, sources say. The M&M initiative is interesting for another reason because it has a parallel in the car segment in the form of the Tata Nano. The tractor will debut soon after the Rs 1-lakh car and both will be part of the fortune at the bottom of the pyramid mantra. By the end of the day, as observers say, customisation is the way forward in the tractor sector.
Mahindra & Mahindras ultra low-cost tractor, tipped to be the Nano version of tractors, is scheduled to be launched in June 2009. According to top sources, it could be priced a little over Rs 1.5 lakh which will make it the least expensive product in this segment. The average price of a tractor ranges upwards from Rs 3 lakh.
M&M has reportedly already developed a few prototypes which have been delivered to farmers for testing. The biggest challenge for such a project is costing and the people involved with the project are pulling out all stops to make the final price tag a reality.
The production cost per unit is still slightly higher than the internal target set by the company. At present, it is slightly upwards of Rs 20,000 but metal prices have fallen and that augurs well, in terms of input costs, sources said.
The tractor is intended for use in small holding where farmers can only afford the traditional oxen pulling a cart to till the land. It would still be an expensive option to this user segment but M&M could kick off some unique finance schemes with banks to make lending easy.
Interestingly, the low-cost option is not too uncommon in interior Gujarat where small vendors assemble basic tractors. The company hopes to sell at least 5,000 units in the first year, going upwards to 25,000 from the second year. Sources say there is immense potential for the product given that market penetration in India is a mere 19 out of 1,000 farmers in India. Affordability is the key in the farm segment where delayed rains or excessive flooding can wreak havoc and postpone buying.
To that extent, the tractor sector is not the easiest of businesses because it is a regular roller-coaster ride, sources say. The M&M initiative is interesting for another reason because it has a parallel in the car segment in the form of the Tata Nano. The tractor will debut soon after the Rs 1-lakh car and both will be part of the fortune at the bottom of the pyramid mantra. By the end of the day, as observers say, customisation is the way forward in the tractor sector.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Mahindra Launches Six-Geared Automatic Scorpio
Mahindra & Mahindra on Monday launched Indias first automatic SUV with a six speed gear box in Pune and Bangalore simulatneously. The automatic variant will cost Rs 85,000 more than the manual Scorpio.
The vehicles will be first sold in the domestic market; later they may be exported depending on the demand and other strategies, said Arun Malhotra, senior vice president, sales and customer care, automotive sector, Mahindra & Mahindra.
Malhotra said that the new edition of the Scorpio is fitted with 2.2 litre mHawk engine. Claiming the vehicle requires low maintenance, he said the transmission is permanently sealed and does not require an oil change throughout its life. The automatic transmission system was developed by an in-house team at Nashik with components sourced from Drivetrain Systems, Australia, said Vivek Nayer, senior VP, marketing, M&M.
The cooling systems, emission, central console and some things in the engine was done out of India.
The automatic option will be available for the VLS and VLX models at Rs 10.21 lakh to Rs 10.75 lakh (ex-showroom price in Pune). The new models will be available across dealerships in the country.
Traffic in any city is increasing at an alarming rate and driving involves constant gear changes. There is a need felt by customers for this option, Nayer said. This automatic version is also targeted at women who want to drive a SUV but find the existing model heavier.
The vehicles will be first sold in the domestic market; later they may be exported depending on the demand and other strategies, said Arun Malhotra, senior vice president, sales and customer care, automotive sector, Mahindra & Mahindra.
Malhotra said that the new edition of the Scorpio is fitted with 2.2 litre mHawk engine. Claiming the vehicle requires low maintenance, he said the transmission is permanently sealed and does not require an oil change throughout its life. The automatic transmission system was developed by an in-house team at Nashik with components sourced from Drivetrain Systems, Australia, said Vivek Nayer, senior VP, marketing, M&M.
The cooling systems, emission, central console and some things in the engine was done out of India.
The automatic option will be available for the VLS and VLX models at Rs 10.21 lakh to Rs 10.75 lakh (ex-showroom price in Pune). The new models will be available across dealerships in the country.
Traffic in any city is increasing at an alarming rate and driving involves constant gear changes. There is a need felt by customers for this option, Nayer said. This automatic version is also targeted at women who want to drive a SUV but find the existing model heavier.
Source: www.siamindia.com
NRIs, foreigners and those exposed to this technology globally will also be the target market, he said. In Europe, 50% of the SUVs sold are automatic and the company is hopeful of the Indian market moving in that direction. The company said production of this model will depend on customer demand and that the company has not set any targets.
M&M sells about 3,000 units of Scorpio a month and is growing at 11.2%. There has been an impact of fuel price hike, higher interest rates and excise duty on car sales, but Nayer said the company hopes that this will be temporary and the markets will pick up again during the festive season. There were clsoe to 15 bookings for the automatic variant at the Pune dealership
NRIs, foreigners and those exposed to this technology globally will also be the target market, he said. In Europe, 50% of the SUVs sold are automatic and the company is hopeful of the Indian market moving in that direction. The company said production of this model will depend on customer demand and that the company has not set any targets.
M&M sells about 3,000 units of Scorpio a month and is growing at 11.2%. There has been an impact of fuel price hike, higher interest rates and excise duty on car sales, but Nayer said the company hopes that this will be temporary and the markets will pick up again during the festive season. There were clsoe to 15 bookings for the automatic variant at the Pune dealership
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