Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., the country’s leading utility vehicle manufacturer and a part of the US$ 15.4 billion Mahindra Group, has launched its international range of utility vehicles and pick-ups for the Kenyan market. This included its award winning XUV500 SUV, the Scorpio SUV and Pick Up range, the Genio Pick-Up and the Maxximo mini-truck.
The company has appointed Simba Corporation as the sole dealer for Mahindra vehicles in Kenya. The dealership that will trade under Xylon Motors will offer the full range of Mahindra vehicles as well as provide complete servicing facilities, testing and an extensive after sales department supplying parts and accessories. This will enable Mahindra to further consolidate its presence in Kenya.
“We are delighted to expand our presence in Kenya which is a strategic market for us within the African continent. Our range of utility vehicles and pick ups have carved a distinct niche for themselves in markets across the world including Europe, South Africa, Egypt, South and Central America and Australia and I’m sure Kenya will be no exception.
The Mahindra XUV500 is a world class SUV offering an unbeatable combination of aspirational styling, advanced technology and safety features, comfort and convenience and is sure to find favour with customers in Kenya,” said Sanjay Jadhav, Senior General Manager, Exports (Africa & Middle East), Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.
“Mahindra has been the leader in India’s utility vehicle market, with over 50% percent market share and sells its products in over 40 countries on six continents. We understand the importance of partnering with prestigious brands like Mahindra to ensure that we deliver the highest quality products and services to our customers. Mahindra boasts of a rich heritage in the automotive industry, having been established over 60 years ago and we have great confidence in the company’s future strategy for the Kenyan market. We believe very strongly that the new product range will be a success in this market,” said Dinesh Kotecha, Executive Director, Simba Corporation, at the opening of the new Xylon showroom in Nairobi.
Mahindra has a strategic intent and focus for the African continent where it already has a significant presence in automobiles, IT, tractors and energy. The company’s African footprint extends to Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Ghana, Nigeria, Sudan and South Africa where it has a JV, Mahindra South Africa.
The Mahindra Group, which has identified Kenya as a key market for its overall plan for the African continent, has also drawn up fresh plans for introducing new vehicles in the country, while increasing the capacity of its commercial and passenger vehicles. Simba Corp has invested close to 600 million shillings in Xylon Motors and will offer new car owners warranty, parts and after-sales service at very competitive pricing. Mahindra already has a significant presence in Kenya where it sells its tractors through M/s Timsales, a part of the Rai Group
The Mahindra XUV500 was launched late last year in India with a simultaneous unveiling in South Africa. It has received much acclaim since its launch, with bookings selling out within days, leading to an increase in production. The Mahindra XUV500 has also received over 20 awards from the automotive fraternity in India, clear testimony to this global SUV’s appeal.
The Mahindra XUV500 is the first global SUV from the Mahindra stable that has been completely designed and developed around the global customer, with extensive product validation and testing done across Europe, Australia, South Africa and India.
Mahindra’s latest contender in the highly competitive international SUV market has been likened to an African cheetah in terms of both its appearance and performance. The Mahindra XUV500 is seen as having a body styling line ‘inspired by a pouncing cheetah’ as well as its physics-defying agility, along with a ‘cheetah-inspired jaw-like grille’ and vertical ‘paw-styled door handles.’
The XUV500 offers front wheel drive and all wheel drive derivatives all powered by a transversely-mounted four-cylinder, 2,2-litre mHawk turbo diesel engine which develops 103kW of power. Transmission is a six-speed manual, with a low ratio transfer box for the all-wheel drive model. The all-wheel drive system on the W8 4x4 model has an interactive torque management system which switches seamlessly from two-to four-wheel drive.