India’s Mahindra and Mahindra will soon begin marketing a diesel-powered small pickup truck in the U.S. – called the Appalachian – but its initial plan to build the truck in the States has been curtailed – at least for the time being. Originally slated to be produced in Ohio, the first batch of the Appalachian trucks will now be built in India and imported to the U.S.
According to PickupTrucks.com, Mahindra decided to make the switch in order to get the Appalachian to the U.S. market by the end of 2009. Although the production shift won’t have much impact on the finished product, it could affect Mahindra’s plan to sell the Appalachian for 10-15 percent less than the competition.
Thanks to a tax put in place in the 1960s, the foreign-made Appalachian will be subject to a 25 percent import tariff. Mahindra has yet to release official pricing for the Appalachian, but Global Vehicles U.S.A. Inc. – Mahindra’s U.S. partner – is hopeful the tariff won’t alter the truck’s final MSRP.
Mahindra will begin Indian production of the U.S.-bound Appalachian in September, with the first trucks hitting out shores in December.
