Coming later this year to the USA: Pickup trucks from India

[TheMightyFavog]

http://www.mahindrana.com/index.html

Interesting scheme they have to get around LBJ's Chicken Tax: Export the trucks as kits, and have a firm in the US assemble them.

[derby378]

1. As long as they're not shipping us those wooden Tata trucks

I've seen enough episodes of IRT: Deadliest Roads to know they wouldn't last five seconds on our highways.

[Possumpoint]

2. Remember Datsun & Toyota's Early Efforts

The 6v PU w/o radio and a/c that wouldn't start in the cold weather we have? How fast they evolved to today. I predict the same thing will happen.

[TheMightyFavog]

5. Espeacilly Toyota

As evidenced by Top Gear's "Indestructable Hilux"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnWKz7Cthkk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTPnIpjodA8&feature=channel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFnVZXQD5_k&feature=channel

[Erose999]

6. If this is the same one they've been teasing us with it could be a winner...

both the fuel economy and engine performance seem pretty good on paper. And that engine is similar to the one in India that has a rock solid reputation. The bed with the integrated tie-down fittings just screams "function over form".

Furthermore, it seems tailor made for farms, delivery drivers, sportsmen, and other users who need more power than a minitruck, but don't want the extra size, wasteful fuel economy, or expense of a fullsize.

Getting American truck consumers out of the "bigger = better" mindset will be the trick though.

[TheMightyFavog]

3. Been reading up on the Chicken Tax and how forgien makers got around it...

The earliest Japanese light trucks got around it by exporting the truck sans bed or cargo box, then having an American firm slap one on.

The Subaru Brat was exported with rear facing jump seats to get it classified as a "Passenger Vehicle" rather than a light truck..



I would not want to ride in that... :scared:

The current Ford Transit Vans are exported to us with rear seats and a rear window, and once they get off the boat, a US company converts them to cargo vans by ripping out the rear seat and puttting in solid panels to replace the rear windows.

[Erose999]

4. CKD is nothing new to exported automobiles. Most vehicles in the third world are built that way...

the manufacturing happens in in a developed country, the parts are shipped to the third world country where they are assembled locally.

For example, we would build Willy's jeeps as "kits", and send them to India where they were assembled and sold as "Mahindra & Mahindra" automobiles. Until Mahindra got on their feet enough to license and produce their own tooling to do their own manufacture.

Now, it seems, it will happen in reverse. We are the third world country that will be assembling vehicles mfg'd in India and China.