India's leading Utility Vehicles (UV) maker and a part of Mahindra group, worth USD 15.4 billion, Mahindra and Mahindra Limited (M&M), introduced its global range of UVs and pick-ups in Kenya. The award winning XUV500, Scorpio and pick-up range, including Genio and mini-truck Maxximo were the members of launch line-up.
Simba Corporation, a local company, is appointed by M&M as a solitary dealer of the car maker in Kenyan auto market. Operating under Xylon Motors, the dealership will offer complete Mahindra’s range along with all servicing facilities. The facility will offer testing of the vehicle and will also act as a complete after-sales branch to supply components and add-ons. The attempt by car maker will further enhance the brand’s presence in Kenya.
Senior General Manager (GM), Exports, Africa and Middle-east, M&M, Sanjay Jadhav, said, “We are delighted to expand our presence in Kenya which is a strategic market for us within the African continent. Our range of utility vehicles and pick ups have carved a distinct niche for themselves in markets across the world including Europe, South Africa, Egypt, South and Central America and Australia and I’m sure Kenya will be no exception. The Mahindra XUV500 is a world class SUV offering an unbeatable combination of aspirational styling, advanced technology and safety features, comfort and convenience and is sure to find favour with customers in Kenya.”
Speaking in the same tone, Executive Director, Simba Corporation, Dinesh Kotecha, quoted, “Mahindra has been the leader in India’s utility vehicle market, with over 50% percent market share and sells its products in over 40 countries on six continents. We understand the importance of partnering with prestigious brands like Mahindra to ensure that we deliver the highest quality products and services to our customers. Mahindra boasts of a rich heritage in the automotive industry, having been established over 60 years ago and we have great confidence in the company’s future strategy for the Kenyan market. We believe very strongly that the new product range will be a success in this market.”
Mahindra is adopting a strategic approach for the African continent, wherein it already enjoys a significant goodwill in automobiles, IT, tractors and energy sectors. The brand is present in countries like Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Ghana, Nigeria, Sudan and also has a Joint Venture in South Africa, Mahindra South Africa.
Auto maker considers Kenya as a crucial market in its plans for Africa. M&M is gearing up to introduce fresh launches in the country and is also looking forward to pace up its production capacity in commercial and passenger vehicle segment. Simba Corporation, which has invested nearly 600 million shillings in Xylon Motors, will provide the customers with car owner's warranty, components and after-sales services at affordable prices. Mahindra already enjoys a good market share in Kenya owing to the tractors sold via M/s Timesales, an arm of the Rai Group.
The Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV), XUV 500 from the stables of Mahindra was released in India and in South Africa as well at the same time, end of 2011. Since its launch, the car witnessed overwhelming response from the customers with pre-bookings selling within days of its opening, which forced the car maker to increase its production capacity. The iconic car bagged more than 20 awards from various entities in the automotive lobby of India, thus, testifying its popularity.
XUV500 happens to be the first ever global SUV from M&M to have been designed and developed considering the global buyers. To illustrate the point, the SUV underwent extensive product validation and has been tested across Europe, Australia, South Africa and India. This new offering by Mahindra in ultra competitive global SUV domain has been compared to an African Leopard, considering its look and performance. The body styling and the physics-defying agility of the XUV500 has been 'inspired by a pouncing cheetah'. It also features vertical ‘paw-styled door handles’ and a ‘cheetah-inspired jaw-like grille’.
The XUV500 comes with a two wheel drive (2WD) and All Wheel Drive (AWD) chassis as well, powered by the transversely-mounted four-cylinder, 2.2 litre mHawk turbo diesel unit. This powertrain has been configured to deliver 138.1 hp of maximum power and comes mated with a 6 speed manual transmission system. The gearbox is offered with a low ratio transfer box for the AWD variant. W8 model of XUV500 with 4x4 mode features an interactive torque management system that switches from 2WD to AWD with utmost ease.
