Mahindra & Mahindra will start assembly of commercial vehicles in Brazil next month.
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According to Autodata, the plant, in Bramont, Manaus, is ready to start assembly of Scorpio trucks, in single and double cab pick-up bodystyles, as well as a sports utility.
Usiparts in Pouso Alegre, Minas Gerais, will supply pre-assembled and painted bodies to the plant, as well as interiors. The bodies and the plastics parts for the interior arrive dismantled from India in Pouso Alegre, where they are assembled and painted, and the the interior trim is installed. These are then shipped to the Bramont facility, in the Manaus Free Trade Zone, for fitment of the assembly of the engine and transmission, which are also shipped form India.
Mahindra plans to produce around two thousand units a year. Flávio Del Soldato, managing director of Usiparts, told Autodata that if volumes increased to around 15,000 units it would be possible to press parts locally. “This is the same way that we started with Mitsubishi, assembling the body that was shipped from Japan. I believe the same thing will happen with Mahindra in the future,” he said.
Initially Mahindra will rely on a network of 25 dealers selling around 200 vehicles per month. On a visit from India, Mahindra president, Pawan Goenka, said he does not expect to fight for the leadership position in the pickup and SUV segments: “We don’t need large volumes. Our objective is to achieve a market share of 3% in this segment, in the medium-term, around one thousand units per month”.
