Ring Around The Release Date...

[graydonblair]

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So, we need to get a game going around here to help us kill time.

Something like "Ring Around The Release Date". You know, all of us pick a date we think the trucks will actually be released and whoever gets it right get's a price (Mahindra? sponsors? Anyone?)

Pick your release date & give some idea's of why you chose that date.

I'm guessing a release date of Sept. 2010
Here's my reasons:
1) They don't have their EPA certification yet.
Knowing Tier II Bin 5 regulations, I think they're going to flunk on the first pass & have to redo them.

2) The truck hasn't been tested by the NHTSA.
I kind of doubt they've "toughened it up" enough to pass on the first round as well.

3) They haven't started training the dealers on how to service the trucks yet.
Dealer training on servicing the trucks hasn't started yet as well as no announcement on the parts network has been made either. Mahindra stated (if I remember right) 30-45 days before launch they'd do the training. We haven't seen squat on those training days being announced.

4) They're not in a hurry.
Frankly, I don't think Mahinda could give a rats butt about GV. They've got bigger fish to fry right now in India.
Sure, it'd be "nice" to release their trucks here, but I don't think "pushing it" to get it done in a hurry is a priority.
They're "let's do it right" thing can be translated to..."we're not going to be pushed into this; regardless of what you think".

5) GV & Mahindra seem to be at odds
GV already screwed up with that Romanian hummer looking truck. The dealers don't seem to be getting squat out of GV. And Mahindra doesn't seem to be letting them market the things very much lately. Hmmm.....not a great recipe for success.

So, there's my reasons...ok, you're turn.

How about you? When do YOU think we'll see the trucks released?

[GoSlicker007]

Should we guess a month or a date? Thats hoping the year will be 2010 for all.

I will take Aug-15th 2010.. Gives time for the 100K mark to hit + a month of EPA, NHTSA + 30-45 days of dealer training..

[dadtdave]

Yes, yes......a pick the date lottery........evrybody guesses da date and throws in buck and whoever is closest wins....We could invite the Crosslander folks, too.

[hiluxxulih]

Originally Posted by dadtdave

Yes, yes......a pick the date lottery........evrybody guesses da date and throws in buck and whoever is closest wins....We could invite the Crosslander folks, too.

I will stick with the lottery at least I can actually buy the tickets and have a far higher chance of actually winning the lottery than buying a Mahindra truck .

[DickIsGone]

Can I pick any day in 2017?

[moulin6801]

I say August 15th ! Just because you too September....

[jackson]

Sorry, no time or date.
Following your logic, Graydonblair, which is sound, plus evidence of pasted deadlines as well as now having to deal with certification, the control is in the hands of third parties.
An article in Rushlane dated April 8th, 2010 states,"Denying reports of exporting parts and assembling them at Navistar’s facility in US, M&M announced export of CBU’s instead. M&M will export Completely Built Units of Scorpio based variants in the US market by mid 2010.

Pickup truck variants, two door TR20, and four door TR 40 will be the forerunner during first phase of export. Both the models are based on Mahindra Scorpio’s design. The pickup trucks will be fitted with a standard 2.2L CRDe and six speed transmission.

Already 300-350 dealers in States have started working on showcasing Mahindra variants. M&M have already invested $80 million of the allotted $100 million in this venture. Some paper work needs to be sorted out before Mahindra enters US."

Questions:
No hard time line is given, is this because they do not have one?
What is Mahindra's internal organizational speed for this project and others?
What will the remaining 20 million of funds be spent on if 80 million has been spent so far of the 100 million budget?
Why do the dealers remain confident that the trucks are coming even without a deadline?
Mahindra is large enough to work out the issues both financially as well as using a floating time line to assure a strong sales opening.

[sirmombo]

We don't have any hard facts, so everything is just speculation.

Mahindra made a statement several weeks that the US launch was not their top priority and they only had 7% of their engineers involved. It's probably safe to assume that Mahindra isn't working on a hard time line. They are trying to take a truck designed to be cheap and compete with Chinese imports and get it certified for the U.S. market. That's not an easy task. We know the trucks will have an entirely new drivetrain. We'll probably never know all the chassis and interior changes required to pass U.S. crash tests and meet customer expectations. I wonder if it wouldn't have been easier to start with a new design.

I think it's unlikely there will initially be anywhere near 300-350 dealers. I know of a local dealer that lost it's GM franchise and was seriously interested in Mahindra but got fed up with waiting. A Chicago dealer said if the trucks aren't here by fall they will ask for their franchise fee back. Late summer is the earliest they will possibly be here, and then only with 2000 trucks. Many dealers have a long wait and I am sure many will bail.

[Brainless]

i choose tommorow

[MahindraPlanet]

All well said, sirmombo.

If dealers or potential customers bail right now, I think Mahindra and GV care but they won't lose sleep over it. Mahindra intends to be here permanently. Maybe they lose some sales to the Tacoma in the mean time, maybe they annoy a bunch of us on the forum, but five years from now the people who bought Tacos may be back. The delays cerrtainly sacrifice near term interest in Mahindra, but will it matter in five, ten, twenty years? I think the dealers who stick it out will reap the rewards.

Or it all comes crashing down and I eat my hat... maybe Mahindra will send me some mustard if that happens.