M&M forays into SUV pick-up category

With an eye on tapping foreign markets in the coming months, Mahindra & Mahindra has made its foray into the entry-level Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) Pick-Up category with the nationwide launch of the Bolero Camper DX at Ahmedabad. The cars, which are being rolled out from the Nashik plant, will be manufactured from the company's plant at Zahirabad in Andhra Pradesh in the long-run.

The vehicle, priced at Rs 5.43 lakh (ex-showroom Ahmedabad) is equipped with a 63 HP engine and has a cargo capacity of 710 kg.

Vivek Nayar, vice-president - marketing, Auto Sector, M&M, said internationally, the concept of an SUV pick-up has taken off in a big way especially in countries like South Africa, Malaysia and others.

"We expect a new demand to be created for this segment which combines the features of an SUV and the utility of a pick-up vehicle. We would certainly be looking at exports for this vehicle," said Nayar.

The company claims to have a 77 per cent market share in the pick-up segment where there has been a 14 per cent percentage point growth since last year on the back of sales of the Maxi Max truck and the Max Pik up. The company records sales of around 350 pick-up vehicles per month.

Explaining the reason why the vehicle was first launched in Ahmedabad, Nayar said since Gujarat had started making up 10 per cent of the company's total sales across all segments, the company is looking to consolidate its presence even further in the state.