Indian Carmaker Plans Diesel-Hybrid Pickup for the U.S.
Published February 11, 2008
The Appalachian Hybrid Pickup will be powered by a Bosch-designed 2.2-liter clean-diesel engine, but details about its electric powertrain are still unknown.
Indian automaker Mahindra & Mahindra plans to introduce a diesel-hybrid pickup truck for sale in the U.S. by 2010. The pickup, called the Appalachian, would become the first diesel-hybrid to hit the light-duty market in the United States. Currently, the only diesel hybrids in the U.S. come in the form of mass transit buses.
The two- and four-door pickup, roughly the size of a Toyota Tacoma, will be powered by a 2.2-liter four-cylinder clean-diesel engine designed by Bosch. Output should be 145 horsepower with 300 lb-ft of torque. It will be offered in two- or four-wheel drive, and have a payload capacity of about 2,600 pounds. The Senior VP of Product Development at Mahindra is Dr. Arun Jaura, former head of vehicle engineering for Ford's Escape Hybrid platform. Further details are unknown.
Mahindra says a diesel-only model of the Appalachian, which will come out in 2009, will yield fuel economy in the 30- to 35-mpg range. Mileage for the diesel-hybrid version is expected to exceed 40 miles per gallon.
According to Global Vehicles USA, the American importer for Mahindra, the cost of the Appalachian diesel pickup will be in the mid-$20,000s. The hybrid version is expected to carry a premium of an additional $5,000. The vehicle will be partially built in India, with the final assembly to be done in Ohio. The vehicle will be sold through a network of approximately 300 Mahindra dealers in the United States.
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RIP US Auto manufacturers
As Punjabi MC would say, Mundian to bach ke (Beware of the boys) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efWOPiT20Bk)!
As a lifelong American, I have no desire whatsoever to drive anything with the word "Mahindra" on it. Maybe Mahindra equates to something wonderful in India, but it's not something I'm gonna brag up to my buddies here in the US, and I don't see it scoring me any points with the ladies. No, I haven't conducted any focus groups, but something tells me that I'm not the only one who will see it that way.
We obviously can't count on the US companies coming out with anything intelligent like a diesel hybrid so I'm all for whomever will. Besides, if it can handle the roads in India it'll handle anything we have here as long as it can actually pass our FMVSS requirements and can actually hit US freeway speeds with some reasonable acceleration. It's hard to exceed 45 mph on Indian roads and many Indian vehicles will barely exceed 50 mph.
Too bad it doesn't sound like it's a plug-in hybrid though.
Just wait. I'm old enough to remember people saying they would never be caught dead in a "rice burner" called a HONDA or TOYOTA either. Now they are everywhere... The Koreans did it. Why not India??
I have been waiting for a compact pickup hybrid since I have been in the car market. So what if it is Indian, at least someone is doing it. Hope Mihandra delivers and I can buy a pickup with functionality that is not the size of Montana.
YOu know babu, you can call it anything you want, M&M, M Squared, whatever you want, but something tells me, its not what you call your car that helps you with the ladies. However, by all means, keep your el camino.
That's what was said about Toyota and other Japanese carmarkers after WWII. Never say never.
Well at $2.89/gal now, and who knows by 2010, as a working man, I'll be looking for any truck with the best economy,
"its the economy stupid".
What is wrong with the "big three" that they can't compete with what people want???
You know at 80,000 miles you would save only about $1500 on gas getting 40 MPG as apposed to 27MPG. I fail to see why you would buy a $30,000 plus untested electric little pickup with 145 horse power. I think that means even given no major problems with this untested hybrid you would still spend about $15,000 to save $1500.00 on gas. ????? Why?
Before you make a comment, LDK, read the article and actually think carefully:
Its not an electric truck, its a diesel that gets 32.5 combined mpgs. The diesel-electric hybrid version will get 40mpg and cost about $30,000 ($5,000 over the non-hybrid version). One is spending $5,000, not $15,000, for the hybrid powertrain.
And lets do the math:
80,000 miles at 40mpg: 80000/40=2,000.00 gallons of diesel fuel used.
80,000 miles at 27mpg: 80000/40=2,962.96 gallons of diesel fuel used.
2962.96-2000=a difference of 962.96 gallons of fuel used
962.96 gallons * 3.28 per gallon of diesel fuel (based on current DOE statistics as of 2/11/2008) = a savings of $3158.50 over 80,000 miles.
So, LDK, your post was typical anti-hybrid libel.
If they desire to succeed, car companies typically design and name cars to appeal to the market they intend to penetrate. A car called "Mahindra" is unlikely to be a good fit for any US market. Marketing strategy may not be the typical focus for this site, but let's be honest: the finest hybrid vehicles will not sell if they are not marketed correctly. You could come out with a 1000 mpg diesel hybrid, but if you give it a tard name like "Birdy Num Num" and nobody will buy it, the environment will never benefit.
lol, good point babu
Birdy Num Num, you just got served
ok now I git it. sorry about being so ignorent.
Good point, good marketing doesn't hurt. Remember the lesson learned by GM when they launched the Chevy Nova. Great sales in the US, but no sales in Mexico. Nobody bothered to check out what "nova" meant in Español.
I think it’s great to see other car manufacturing countries reaching out to make an attempt to sell their cars, vans and trucks using hybrid technology. Although a little well known French company have managed to get 80 miles to the gallon from a diesel hybrid car. My point here is it doesn’t matter who makes the car or what name is given to the car the fact is we are all witnessing humans at the best when presented with a challenge like finding a solutions in reducing the burden the price of oil now has on all of us not to mention the environment while still allowing us to enjoy getting out about in our cars and trucks. Now if only our own car manufacturing companies can only open their eyes to what’s happening around the world maybe they’ll be around in the next ten years or so to impress us with their own answer to Asia’s brilliant car designs and ideas.
well I was just surfin different sites to find my driver's ed weekly article, and it is kinda beast how u grown pepps comment on articles like this...it's kinda werid...but it's cool anyhow. LOL oh and I think Mahindra is a cool name."heat under the babyseat" now that's a stupid name.
Well, we all knew this was coming. Free Trade and the WTO have no place in our culture, for now! We cannot compete against third world country's... We also have to blame it on Detroit for their lack of initiative and the UNIONS for their greed by holding the auto makers hostage. Unless there is serious change in America you can say goodbye to the big three...
My thoughts exactly, LDK. It makes no sense. Also making no sense is buying whatever the Big 3 foist upon the American public. They listen with their pocketbook rather than their ears. Whoever is looking for a small, clean diesel burning truck may well look at the non-hybrid model when it arrives.
The fact of matter as long as the big three get the kickbacks from the oil companies we are all going to struggle like rats on a sinking ship.
Companies do not change regardless who talking until they lose money. It will come a day soon that the cars we drive will be made ILLEGAL TO DRIVE so that we can bailout the the big 3 and get into more debit
Bump* REST IN PEACIES CHEVY - If you can't compete its not my fault. PS dont ask my government for a bail out either, and is chevy ever going to put that camero up for sale? or is a pipe dream like chevy sales goals? 2007/2008/2009/2010 ? when is it gonna be for sale?
This truck is looking very horrible if you compare it to the Toyota A-Bat, however, the first to present a light hybrid truck to consumers has an advantage. People want this now and gas prices are out of control here in the U.S. Check out the A-Bat if you don't know what I'm talking about and put some pressure on Toyota to give us truck enthusiats a chance at the gas pump. I seriously feel like walking nowadays, it's so bad. I could shed my lovehandles that way.
Well, I'm happy someone is coming out with a diesel hybrid. Wish it was American or Japanese, but whoever does it, the sooner the better. We will see $4 to $5 gas this summer. Diesel is almost a dollar more. And I don't give a flying sh** what they name it. If you think that stops sales then you are as stupid as the big 3 who are a hair's breath from bankruptcy because they think that way also.
I have 300,000 miles on a Ford Ranger 3.0 (manual transmission) and I get about 27 mpg (mostly highway driving). I could get a used Ranger with fewer miles on it for about $12,000 pretty easily and drive it for years. It kind of makes the economics of buying any new hybrid truck suspect. I'd have to drive a LOT of miles to come up with $18,000 in gas savings just to break even on a $30,000 truck vs. a $12000 used truck. And most of the time, I'm riding a motorcycle which gets 60 mpg anyway. -Dean
The question should be is how much is big oil paying the big three not to manufacture fuel efficient cars and trucks? They've had over 50 years to raise gas mileage. Anyone remember that 50mpg carb now of folklore that was invented 50years ago?
Even though I am an Indian by birth bit still I know the overall Indian excellence and their engineering knowledge in addition to the way they care for the customers. So it would not be a surprise if they throw away any jeep taged with hybrid technology and escalate their image in comparison to biggies like ford,toyota,GM. Its not sure how long these diesel cart makers can sustain to stay here in US market after selling some of the smoke oggling jeeps and then one day they are gone.
Being an Indian I would rather prefer to go for the established and technically sound brands like toyota ,gm,ford. No way for the tractor manufacurers with technology purchased from bosch to be given a chance for which I can never even repent for the loss of money I made by purchasing a bull [&#@%!] jeep with the tag "BUILT BY MAHINDRA" which is also copied from other MNC manufacturing strategy.
No way for any cheap jeep or truck for a country like USA.
Hey whats going on? Wht government is allowing these junk dealers to sell jeeps in our country?Are we not concerned about our enviornment or we just want to throw some bucks for these cheap machines to be used in our farms while contaminating our air with CO? Give way to these trucks and vans in Asian market only because we americans wanna have class vehicles not just rugged carts.
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