M&M-Ford tie-up: 'Old friends', new ambitions

The domestic utility vehicle major and Detroit auto giant sign a new deal after parting ways 12 years ago, this time to ride the market for electric vehicles

Anand Mahindra, executive chairman of home-grown auto major Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), was on a flight when his company announced its partnership with American car maker Ford last week, mainly for electric cars and connected vehicles. “The view at 35k feet shows it’s time for old friends to undertake a new exploration,” he tweeted. 

The view has indeed changed since 2005 when the two companies called off their first partnership after working together for a decade in the Indian market. 
 

M&M used to be the dominant player in the utility vehicle segment then. Indian buyers were not as discerning as they