If you spotted an odd-plated “Jeep” roaming around the UAE, it is none other than two brothers who shipped their Mahindra Thar from India to the Middle East. They are beginning a roadtrip from Kerala which will take close to a year, covering around 50 countries by road.
Indian utility vehicle manufacturer Mahindra was never a big player in the Middle Eastern market, although a few models are starting to trickle down to showrooms here. Their far more comprehensive U.S. operation recently they took a legal jab from FCA for “copying” the design of the Wrangler for their Roxor off-roader, even though the latter wasn’t meant for road use nor was it a Wrangler rival. While the U.S. factory had to shut down, back at home in the lucrative Indian market, Mahindra hit back with an uppercut. Here is the 2020 Mahindra Thar.
Some vehicles are built for luxury, some for speed and some for practicality but only a few get built for cheap fun, and the new Mahindra Roxor is one of them. This minimalist Jeep-looking machine comes from the Indian company Mahindra and is built in Michigan (right alongside the Detroit Big Three) specifically and only for the North American market. Is Mahindra firing a shot across Jeep’s bow?
The Indian-built Mahindra XUV500 quietly went on sale at Galadari Automobiles in the UAE this month. Billed as a 2018 model, it is actually a 2017, but offered with a petrol engine for the first time.
Mahindra, a leading Indian automaker prominent only in the Indian automotive scene, is probably one of the rarest of brands in the Middle East. Despite attempting to compete with the automotive giants by launching models, like the Scorpio that has won several accolades in India, Mahindra’s failure in the international scene was miserable and inevitable, largely due to the outrageous quality issues, dated styling and horrendous driving experiences. However, Mahindra has now seemingly realised their blooper and gained some sense, apparent from the launch of their all-new visually-stunning XUV500 (read as “5-double-oh”) crossover.