There has been a big push for made—in- India products and the Indian automotive industry has been at the forefront of it. Even during the covid-19 lockdown, most carmakers were able to export products from the country and with that revenue stream in place, there's a balance to it all considering that the domestic demand has dropped. To put things into perspective, in FY2020, 6,77,000 passenger cars were exported from India and clearly Mahindra too is looking to capitalise on this growing trend and carandbike can now confirm that its Joint Venture (JV) company with Ford, will start manufacturing Ford badged products in India and exporting them to international markets
Also Read: Mahindra, Ford Joint Venture On Track Despite COVID Crisis
Speaking with carandbike, on the latest episode of Freewheeling With SVP, Rajesh Jejurikar, Executive Director, Auto & Farm Sectors, Mahindra & Mahindra, said, “We do want to make products, which can be used for the Ford Joint Venture, for the Ford ecosystem, either using the platforms that the JV would have, which will be a carry over of Ford, adapted and so on and so forth. In a way it's a two pronged strategy. So, in a way it's a two-pronged strategy. So, one part for business, which is the joint venture with Ford, you would want to export aggressively, and create products which can go under Ford badge. The other part of the business, which is brand Mahindra in the SUV segment, you want to keep it focused to markets where you already are.”
Also Read: Mahindra & Ford Announce New Joint Venture
Also Read: Mahindra Exports 585 Units Of Passenger Vehicles In April 2020
Mahindra has been exporting products from India to various markets across the globe, including South Africa, Chile, and Australia among others. The company will continue to push more products into the export markets, but there is no action towards expanding the current global footprint. Jejurikar said, “Under brand Mahindra, we are going to have a targeted set if markets, where we want to be. We are very strong in South Africa, parts of North Africa and so on and that's going to be priority. South Asian countries, Countries like Chile, Australia, New Zealand, and maybe some country or two in south Asia and that's about it. Of course we have a presence in Europe, but the mindset is not to go beyond the existing footprint of brand Mahindra.”
Also Read: Mahindra-Ford Joint Venture: 10 Things You Need To Know
The two brands will co-develop new products, including 3 new UVs under the Ford brand starting with a new mid-size SUV
The JV with Ford, where Mahindra holds controlling stake, has been going strong. In fact, we told you that a lot of work has already been done and it continues even during the lockdown, because all the product platform work was already covered with agreements enabling work to continue undisturbed. As we've already you, the joint venture will also see the brands co-develop new products, including 3 new UVs under the Ford brand starting with a new mid-size SUV that will have a common platform and powertrain shared by the companies.
