M&M replaces Mahindra Classic with Bolero variant Invader
By Our Corporate Bureau | 26 Mar 2003
Mumbai:
Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), witnessing languishing
sales of one its oldest models, the Mahindra Classic,
has phased it out and replaced it with the Invader, a
utility vehicle based on the Bolero platform, M&M’s
urban utility vehicle.
M&M officials say the company has chosen the Bolero platform for the new model as it helped rein in costs to launch the vehicle within the targeted price range.
The vehicle will be manufactured at M&M’s Nashik plant, where the Bolero and the Scorpio are made, for operational and cost efficiency. The Invader’s base version comes with a 58bhp, DI-diesel engine and will cost Rs 3.78 lakh ex-showroom Jaipur.
The Invader has a shorter wheelbase than the Bolero, a wider wheel track, and comes with a four-wheel drive option. Later the company will also launch a petrol version.
The vehicle has an enclosed forward cabin that helps installation of an addition of AC and gives the feeling of a car. Its rear portion has a soft-top cover; a fibreglass top option is also available. The Invader will look much like the Bolero, and will be available with two diesel options initially.
The Bolero currently sells 750-800 units per month. Over the past few months, M&M has been phasing out vehicles, experiencing declining sales with products based on the Bolero.
M&M
is also planning to launch a petrol variant of the vehicle,
fitted with the Isuzu 1.8-litre engine that M&M is
authorised to manufacture, in three-four months. According
to company officials this vehicle will be for military
and police use in the northern parts of India, where diesel
vehicles have problems running in winters.
The company is also looking at exporting the vehicle to neighbouring countries and certain African markets. The company will offer both two- and four-wheel drive versions of the vehicle. The company, however, declines to reveal sales targets. “We have enough installed capacity to satisfy demand.”
The Invader will be launched in Jaipur, Chandigarh and the four metros by mid-April 2003, followed by a national launch.