[pee wee]

CBS just ran a story on Hyundai and their market growth, kind of made me think of Mahindra. They showed the unveiling of the 1985 Excel, and they made the contrast with the newest Sonata. The reporter asked if that early car was a "hunk of junk", and the response was no, it wasn't a hunk of junk, but it was a hunk of junk in this market (the U.S.).

I'm guessing the quality of Indian motor vehicles has risen enormously in the last ten to twenty years, but I'm also guessing that they still aren't quite up to the level of polish we are accustomed to in the U.S. market. I get the feeling that one of the big reasons for the delay in launching the Mahindras is M&M and GV are still trying to make these trucks good enough that they will be loved by reviewers and buyers. The assumption is that we expect well made, reliable, comfortable, good handling, capable, stylish, technically modern, and a bunch of other qualities we may not be able to list, but sense when one sits in and drives the truck- cabin materials, aromas, proportions/ergonomics, the way controls feels when operated and more.

I'm not sure that the concept of what kind of Mahindra truck to offer this market was fully conceived when the plans were made to come here. Do they go for inexpensive and unbreakable, albeit rough? That's what I thought they were going to do. Do they go for top of the line luxury? I think they got so much advice on what changes had to be made before the American consumer would like the truck that they went astray. You can see when you read the thread "what is your plan B truck?" that there is no comparable competition, so there was no need to fuss over cup holders and grill jewelry. They could have spent their time preparing them for crash tests and EPA certification and let it go at that. The Escalade buyer will never go for a TR20 or TR40, so Mahindra shouldn't waste time listening to their opinions and making us wait while they keep fussing over it. I know they stated they won't bring out the truck until they "get it right", but right according to whom? Take a look at the opinions on this forum- these are the people who will show up at the dealers. If we were looking for a Dodge or a Toyota we'd just go down to the dealer and get one. What is it about the Mahindra trucks that set them apart? Diesel engine power, fuel economy, big payload capacity with a small overall size. If they can stay focused on those three things and do them well, the sales will be there.