At Last, the Return of the Compact Pickup. And it’s Coming From India
A compact pickup truck made by a company in India and sold in the United States? Don't laugh, folks. If you know your automobile history you will certainly be aware of manufacturers from Japan and Korea that came to North America, funny names and all, and today are sales powerhouses in the USA and Canada. The simple truth is that India has a large, healthy, and sophisticated automobile manufacturing business and seems ready to expand.
But why a pickup? Well, our truck market has, in the last decade or two, abandoned the compact sector in favour of ever-larger trucks with thirsty engines and interior accommodations suited to a luxury sedan. And yet there are hundreds of thousands of individual operators, and even fleets, that need nothing more than a small, relatively basic pickup that's rugged and easy on gas. Sort of what pickup trucks used to be. So India's Mahindra is ready to step into that gap with what appears to be the kind of vehicle North America really wants.
Mahindra pickups will come in two variations: a two-door regular cab, the TR20, and a four-door crew cab, the TR40. Interestingly the trucks will be "powered by diesel," a slightly modified version of the firm's mHawk 2.2-liter inline-four-cylinder engine. Fuel economy is expected to be around 30 miles per gallon on the highway. Hauling ability is 1.3 tons, starting price should be about $22,000. Global Vehicles USA, Mahindra's exclusive U.S. distributor, says that all the emissions testing has been completed and the paperwork is being submitted to the EPA for final approval, which should take about 30 to 60 days.
Some 330 dealers are signed and ready to go, though no official launch date has been announced. I'm predicting that we're on the first page of what will surely be an Indian success story, right here in the USA.
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