Mahindra drives into North Africa

CASABLANCA, MARCH 30: Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., the Indian leader in utility vehicles with a growing global presence, announced its entry into the challenging North African market by launching the All New Scorpio SUV and its single cab and double cab pick-up variants in Morocco. M&M has appointed MediAuto, which is owned by the $2 billion GBH Group based in France, to launch its maiden entry into the Moroccan Market. M&M is the first major Indian auto major to foray into the country.

The Morocco launch is part of a series of international launches.

The vehicles represent the best of M&M's lifestyle and SUV product range internationally and have created a niche for themselves in Africa including South Africa and in Europe, France, Spain and Italy. They are the vehicles of Mahindra's vision to build the most customer centric corporation in India, and indeed, the world. The Mahindra Group has been named one of the world's Most Reputable Companies by the formidable Forbes group.

The models with contemporary styling come equipped with a Turbo diesel engine and are available in the 4x2 and 4x4 variants.

Mr. P. N. Shah, Executive Vice President, International Operations, Automotive Sector, said, "Morocco is one of the most strategic markets for automobiles in North Africa and a key gateway for our globalization plans in the continent. We are introducing the Scorpio range after exhaustive customer feedback. We believe its technological superiority and value offering will make it a vehicle of choice for the evolved Moroccan car lover."

M&M has an exclusive distribution arrangement with MediAuto, and will be exporting fully built vehicles to Morocco. MediAuto's parent company, the GBH Group, is a veteran player in the automotive business. It has been associated with marquee names including Renault, Nissan, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen "� Audi.

Mr. Guillaume Belan, MD, MediAuto, said, "We are confident of Scorpio's success after having evaluated the product thoroughly in Morocco and seen the product's success in many tough markets worldwide. The Mahindra promise of quality, technology and innovativeness backed by our distribution and after sales network will make the Mahindra range a success."

Scorpio: An international brand

The new Scorpio SUV is being launched in Morocco with 40 changes and improvements, all based on direct and extensive feedback that from, amongst others, the North African market. The vehicles will be available in both 2WD and 4WD variants.

The Scorpio is a direct result of the innovative Integrated Design and Manufacturing (IDAM) process, where Mahindra & Mahindra tied-up with global automotive suppliers at an early stage for concurrent design and development. These partners include Lear USA, Visteon USA, Dana USA, BEHR Germany, Bosch Germany, Borg Warner USA, Fuji Japan and Sylea France.

The stylish and rugged Mahindra range of vehicles has attracted a niche audience globally. The African terrain is very similar to that in India, both in terms of market maturity and geography. The Scorpio has proved their savvy in great measure in India, Africa, Europe and many other countries where it being exported. M&M has extensively tested the Scorpio across various geographies and is confident of replicating the success in Morocco.

The vehicle's features

A torquey turbodiesel engine is designed and developed jointly with AVL Austria. Strong cross-bars chassis and independent suspension with torsion bar in front and five-point multi-link on the rear developed with the help of Lotus Engineering, UK. Together they give the user a genuine off-roader with excellent on-road capabilities.

The Pick-Up range from the Mahindra: For work and for pleasure

The Mahindra Pik-Up is designed to deliver great performance powered and make tough work pleasurable. The Mahindra Pik Up derived from the SUV comes with style & luxury of an SUV and the class leading interior space and cargo.

Mahindra: A global company

Apart from holding a premier position in Indian industry, M&M is an established leader in several global markets. It has a strong presence in the US, China, Malaysia, West Asia, Australia, Latin America and the Middle East, as well as increasingly in Africa. Over the next couple of years M&M plans to get about 20 percent of its volumes from our global ventures. Mahindra is looking to consolidate operations in East and North Africa.

In Africa, Mahindra has a subsidiary in South Africa which distributes vehicles in South Africa, SACU member countries and other Southern African countries. Last year Mahindra sold over 4000 vehicles in South Africa and is expected to cross 5000 vehicles this year. Mahindra also has a presence in many African countries like Nigeria, Ghana, Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, Madagascar, DR Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia and Djibouti. Mahindra is also evaluating manufacturing opportunities in COMESA.

M&M has entered into an exclusive venture Renault to launch the French auto leader's global car 'Logan' in India. The company recently also entered into a mega deal with Renault and Nissan to set up a 400,000 unit vehicle manufacturing facility in India, potentially the largest of its kind anywhere.

About The GBH Group

Founded in 1960 by Bernard Hayot, the US $2 billion group started business by importing Bayer products for the agricultural sector in Martinique (Caribbean Region). The Group later developed in the industrial sector (food processing building materials) and importing leading brand products. In the 1980s, it started what was to become its two main activities, large-scale Food and Hardware Distribution and Automotive Import & Distribution. The group's strategy is focused towards development of those two sectors on territories with similar features to that of its birthplace - territories with emerging economies. The Group is settled in the Caribbean region, Europe and North Africa, Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean. Its development is based on long term partnerships with leading international brands and companies including Carrefour, Kodak, Danone, Renault, Nissan, Michelin, Europcar , Caterpillar, Total...

About The Mahindra Group

The US $4 billion* Mahindra Group is among the top 10 industrial houses in India. Mahindra & Mahindra is the only Indian company among the top five tractor manufacturers in the world and is the market leader in multi-utility vehicles in India. The Group has a leading presence in key sectors of the Indian economy, including trade and financial services (Mahindra Intertrade, Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services Ltd.), automotive components, information technology & telecom (Tech Mahindra, Bristlecone), and infrastructure development (Mahindra GESCO, Mahindra Holidays & Resorts India Ltd., Mahindra World City). With over 60 years of manufacturing experience, the Mahindra Group has built a strong base in technology, engineering, marketing and distribution which are key in its evolution as a customer-centric organization. The Group employs over 40,000 people and has several state-of-the-art facilities in India and overseas. The Mahindra Group has ambitious global aspirations and has a presence in five continents . Mahindra products are today available in every continent except Antarctica. M&M has one tractor manufacturing plant in China and three assembly plants in the United States. It has made strategic acquisitions across the globe including Stokes Forgings (UK), Jeco Holding AG (Germany) and Schoneweiss & Co GmbH (Germany). Its global subsidiaries include Mahindra Europe Srl. based in Italy, Mahindra USA Inc. and Mahindra South Africa. M&M has entered into partnerships with international companies like Renault SA, France, and International Truck and Engine Corporation, USA. Forbes has ranked the Mahindra Group in its Top 200 list of the World's Most Reputable Companies and in the Top 10 list of Most Reputable Indian companies.