Get FinancingRise: The History Of Mahindra
Mahindra was built on the three brand pillars of “Accept No Limits,” “Alternative Thinking,” and “Driving Positive Change,” all of which come together to form the company’s one-word motto “Rise.” Mahindra started out as a steel trading company in Mumbai, India, in 1945, but two years later it began manufacturing automobiles after acquiring a license to build Willys Jeeps. The company continued to rise and expand into other areas, including informational technology, financial services, and aerospace, but it was in 1963 that the company joined forces with International Harvester to develop the first Mahindra tractors. By 1983, the Mahindra brand was the bestselling tractor in India.
Man On A Mission
Mahindra’s expansion into the United States, and the North American market as a whole, largely hinged upon the success or failure of one man: Rip Evans. The company sent just over 140 tractors to Houston, Texas, and from 1988 to 1994, Evans drove across the country convincing dealerships from California to Delaware to purchase a Mahindra tractor. It took three trucks, over one million miles, and a lot of hard works, but Evans was successful in his mission and in 1994, Mahindra established Mahindra USA in Tomball, Texas.
Growth & Expansion
Mahindra chose Texas because it was the largest tractor market in the United States, and the company worked closely with strategic partners TYM Tractors and Mitsubishi to gain a foothold. By 2003, the company sold one million tractors worldwide, and soon after became the bestselling tractor brand in the world in 2010. Over the years that followed, Mahindra continued its expansion in the U.S. with distribution centers in Texas, California, Tennessee, Kansas, Arkansas, and Pennsylvania.
The years from 2011 to 2014 were important for Mahindra, not the least of which because the company combined its executive, parts, assembly, and distribution arms at a new headquarters in Houston, Texas. It also established a new financing operation called Mahindra Finance USA to offer wholesale financing to dealers and retail financing to customers. The company created a new implements division, grew its dealer network to more than 500 locations, and expanded into Canada, Mexico, and Brazil. Today, the company has operations in Australia and China, as well.
Entering The Utility Vehicle Market
Mahindra officially entered the utility vehicle (UTV) market in 2015 with its mPact XTV lineup. The company attributes this move with essentially doubling its business in 2015 and 2016. The mPact XTV series consists of the standard series 1000 S Diesel, 1000 S Diesel Camo, and 1000 S Diesel Flexhauler; the six-passenger Crew series 1000 C Diesel, 1000 C Diesel Camo, and 750 C Gas; the Longbed series 1000 L Diesel and 750 L Gas; and the Base series 750 B Gas.
The Retriever line of UTVs is similar and offers diesel and gas options in Flexhauler and Longbed configurations. There are Limited Edition versions of Retriever 1000 UTVs available that sport a blackout color scheme, brown bucket seats, and other premium features. Mahindra also offers a range of accessories to customize your UTV, like enclosures, extra storage, winches, implements, and more.
Current Tractor Offerings
Mahindra’s extensive lineup of tractors includes the eMax Series and Max Series, mForce Series, mPower Series, and m105 Series as well as the 1500, 1600, 2500, 2600, 3500, 4500, 5500, 6000, 8000, and 9000 series. The eMax series, as an example, is the newest line of Mahindra tractors. Depending on the specific model, they have operating weights ranging from 1,540 pounds up to 1,870 pounds and can lift as much as 900 pounds at 75.3 inches with an eMax 25L-S front loader attachment. Mahindra also offers a large selection of attachments and implements for a variety of applications, such as backhoes, mowers, snowblowers, hitches, aerators, tillage tools, buckets, and more.
You’ll find a large selection of new and used Mahindra tractors for sale at TractorHouse.com, and MotorSportsUniverse.com offers large selection of new and used utility vehicles for sale, including used mPact and Retriever models.