Currently reading: Mahindra plans return to UK
Mahindra plans return to UK

Indian four-wheel-drive company Mahindra is to return to the UK next summer, following a 10-year absence. It will offer two vehicles, the Goa 4x4, which is a Europeanised version of the Indian-market Scorpio, and also a pick-up.

The Goa is a seven- or eight-seat 4x4 with a 2.6-litre 115bhp common-rail turbodiesel engine, which costs €21,000 in Spain – under £15,000 – though expect UK prices to be higher.

Mahindra sells around 150,000 cars a year in India, but may struggle in the UK. The last Mahindra to be sold here was a Jeep Wrangler copy, the Classic. It is remembered for its glacial acceleration and little else.

The president of Mahindra automotive, Pawan Goenka, is aware of the challenge his company faces, especially in the wake of the ill-fated CityRover, which was a rebadged Tata Indica.

“We don’t want to be coloured by other companies,” he said, “but we have generally found that once people get to know our product it doesn’t last too long.”

He may yet come to regret his choice of words.

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