[TusharK]

Mahindra will be inaugurating their new assembly plant in Michigan, USA on November 20, 2017. According to a media report, the first product to roll off this production line could be an off-road vehicle based on the Mahindra Thar. Rumours suggest that it might be called ‘Thor’ in the US market, where it will be sold exclusively.



While details of the US-only Mahindra Thor are not available at this moment, some reports suggest that it might use the 1.6-litre Euro VI engine from the Ssangyong Tivoli.

Another model that is expected to be built at the Michigan plant is a Utility Task Vehicle (UTV). It will be an all-terrain vehicle with a wider and longer body. The off-roader is expected to feature a two-abreast seating layout, rollover protection and a cargo box at the rear. It will be classified as a recreational vehicle for off-road use.

Mahindra has reportedly invested US$ 1.5 billion in setting up the new 4,00,000 sq.ft. assembly plant. The company has already set up its North American headquarters in Troy, Michigan and has a technical centre in the same area.

Source: Autocar Professional

[PrideRed]

I like Mahindra's confidence and bravery. Despite issues like http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...ndra-thar.html and knowing how strong Jeep Wrangler is in US, they plan to launch the Tha(O)r.

[RedRaider]

The Thor should be priced much lesser than the Wrangler which should help it get a good following. Let's see what happens !

Let's hope that the American experience trickles down to India and results in big improvement in our own Thar.

[deep_bang]

The Scorpio and the rest of the Mahindra UV's dont have any problem as far as rust goes. So, that tells me that the Thar rusting episodes are all design issues - not execution issues. So, i don't see how this can do well in a market like US of A.

[anand.shankar]

Brave move.. But doesn't the Thar look too close to the Wrangler ? In India its fine, We are already used to the 'Jeep' 'Mahindra' Synonymy. In the US it might look like cheaper rip off wont it ? Unless they design it totally different.

[vishy76]

Originally Posted by anand.shankar

Brave move.. But doesn't the Thar look too close to the Wrangler ? In India its fine, We are already used to the 'Jeep' 'Mahindra' Synonymy. In the US it might look like cheaper rip off wont it ? Unless they design it totally different.

It does look too similar, but they aren't going to give the Americans the cheap rip off stuff that we Indians get. It will be a reworked version of the same platform.

Originally Posted by RedRaider

The Thor should be priced much lesser than the Wrangler which should help it get a good following. Let's see what happens !

Let's hope that the American experience trickles down to India and results in big improvement in our own Thar.

If the thor follows in the footsteps of the thar (read: Poorly implemented engineering, offset steering and the likes), the Americans will simply look away from it, no matter how well it is priced.

In India, the Thar has aspirational value (Like a bullet) and that is what makes it sell despite of numerous issues and a 10 lac price tag. The Thor will be starting off from scratch in the USA, and Americans surely won't tolerate the same crap we Indians are forced to go through here.

Undoubtedly, Mahindra will use superior sheet metal and heavily rework the old girl's chassis as well. I don't see this car moving off the showroom floors otherwise.

As for us Indians, we will have to sit here and wait, until M&M finally decides to do us a favour by giving us the next iteration of the Thar.

[GTO]

Mahindra might be thinking about it, but it's going to be an uphill climb. I'll be surprised if they actually manage to pull it off.

- The Thar is a jugaad product. Whatever you do to it, it won't meet the quality expectations of the American market. Mahindra will need to start on a clean sheet of paper frankly; the Thar won't be a good starting point.

- With its antique underpinnings, there is no chance that the Thar will clear the stringent crash tests of the USA. Impossible.

- Mahindra will have to spend crores in meeting the USA emission norms. It's one thing to sell tractors for farm use in the USA, but entirely another to bring a road-legal car. Remember, USA emission norms are so strict that even VW resorted to blatant cheating to pass them.

- What's it going to do to Mahindra's image? Americans are fiercely patriotic about the 'Jeep' and a Thar-lookalike will just come across as a knockoff of the real thing. How would we see it if a new Chinese brand were to launch a cheap lookalike of the Maruti Swift in India?

Instead of building a "Thor" for the USA, Mahindra should build a top-quality "Thar" for the Indian market. A Thar that has the build quality of an XUV500.

[srishiva]

Dont understand the use of word Thor. It will be too much American in addition to the vehicle that looks like American.
The engine part is not difficult since they are going to use Ssangyong sourced engine for that. Its the creature comforts that people will be worried out.

[rohitoasis]

I cant imagine the amount in royalty they will have to pay to Marvel with this launch.

That cost would be much less compared to the damage in reputation of the mighty god of thunder when it is used on a archaic bare bones design of an SUV.

Mahindra should think twice before naming the car such, but then their logic would be that Marvel also stole the name from Norse Mythology. If Marvel is successful in suing for damage on reputation, I really cannot imagine the amount they would sue for.

[Thermodynamics]

may be I am missing here something,

- GM has shut their shop in India, an Indian firm is setting a shop in US
- Many companies prefer manufacturing in India/Brazil and export (including GM). What is the business case for M&M to manufacture in US? They already have infrastructure in India, would it be not cost effective to just export?

[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by Thermodynamics

may be I am missing here something,

- GM has shut their shop in India, an Indian firm is setting a shop in US
- Many companies prefer manufacturing in India/Brazil and export (including GM). What is the business case for M&M to manufacture in US? They already have infrastructure in India, would it be not cost effective to just export?

M&M would first need some brand equity (in urban areas) so the target segment is at least aware of the company. And that can't exactly happen without having a plant in the US. Imagine asking American customers to buy a product manufactured in India by an Indian company they don't know of.

It has been easier for non-Indian manufacturers (Chevrolet, Ford) to setup shop in India without manufacturing in India from the word go because there was tremendous brand equity from the British era.

We know how hard Hyundai had to work.

Plus, the US now has a President that is working on the same rhetoric (America first) as Modi is (Make-in-India).

I'm not sure if M&M is doing the right thing by considering a Thar-like vehicle for the US but I'm pretty sure they'd need a manufacturing plant in the US if they want to be noticed by the consumers.

[blackwasp]

Originally Posted by Thermodynamics

What is the business case for M&M to manufacture in US? They already have infrastructure in India, would it be not cost effective to just export?

Here is what Anand Mahindra was quoted saying at the inauguration of the plant, “We are using Detroit to help build (our) global platform. Everyone hears about off-shoring and out-sourcing to India — this is India outsourcing to America to get the talent we need.”

Source.

Originally Posted by libranof1987

M&M would first need some brand equity (in urban areas) so the target segment is at least aware of the company.

+1. Nothing like setting up a plant in the former automotive capital of the world.

[romeomidhun]

Source: https://indianautosblog.com/2017/11/...a-roxor-290992

The name of the vehicle to be manufactured by Mahindra in USA is "ROXOR", not "Thor". Glad that they selected a better name.

[asingh1977]

This is so ironical. Mahindra is taking on JEEP in its own backyard, likewise JEEP doing it here. When actually both companies are "almost" cousins, sharing a ton of DNA. Well JEEP evolved.

[pgsagar]

Originally Posted by GTO

Mahindra might be thinking about it, but it's going to be an uphill climb. I'll be surprised if they actually manage to pull it off.

- The Thar is a jugaad product. Whatever you do to it, it won't meet the quality expectations of the American market. Mahindra will need to start on a clean sheet of paper frankly; the Thar won't be a good starting point.

- With its antique underpinnings, there is no chance that the Thar will clear the stringent crash tests of the USA. Impossible.

- Mahindra will have to spend crores in meeting the USA emission norms. It's one thing to sell tractors for farm use in the USA, but entirely another to bring a road-legal car. Remember, USA emission norms are so strict that even VW resorted to blatant cheating to pass them.

- What's it going to do to Mahindra's image? Americans are fiercely patriotic about the 'Jeep' and a Thar-lookalike will just come across as a knockoff of the real thing. How would we see it if a new Chinese brand were to launch a cheap lookalike of the Maruti Swift?

Instead of building a "Thor" for the USA, Mahindra should build a top-quality "Thar" for the Indian market. A Thar that has the build quality of an XUV500.

Well said GTO. Thar is below par even for Indian market. I mean at the price they are selling. The body shell has been around since stone-age , in the form of MM540. They could have at least given it Wrangler look, slanting bonnet, low roofline etc. Same goes for Gypsy, too. Maruti and Mahindra are over-charging by at least 2 to 3 lakhs on 30 and 40 year old body-shells. As for US market, like you said, they are fiercely patriotic about Jeep and Chevy/Dodge/GMC pick-ups and unless Mahindra gives them more at less, they would find going very tough.