Indian Automaker Seeks to Enter the U.S. Market by 2008

Washington DC November 6, 2006; The AIADA newsletter reported that Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., a small automaker based in Mumbai, India, is quietly preparing to enter the United States in October 2008, according to a report in Automotive News.

The company has signed independent distributor, Global Vehicles U.S.A. Inc., in Alpharetta, GA – headed up by former Mazda executive William Goetze – to distribute the vehicles.

Goetzke is asking dealers to pay $125,000 to apply for a franchise. Dealers who have heard Global Vehicles' sales pitch say that the company plans two vehicles: a regular-cab pickup with a 2.6-liter turbodiesel engine and an SUV.

Last year, Mahindra sold just 127,521 vehicles worldwide