M&M enters construction industry vehicles segment

Mumbai-based SUV and tractor manufacturer, Mahindra and Mahindra today announced its entry into the fast-growing construction equipment business segment with the launch of its first product, the Mahindra EarthMaster Backhoe Loader.

India is the world's largest backhoe loader market with over 25,000 units expected to be sold in this fiscal.

The new construction equipment will be manufactured ay M&M's Chakan plant, near Pune, in which the company has invested Rs300 crore for the new business

The Mahindra EarthMaster is an outcome of 36 months of development and is loaded with technology that the company says, is not seen in this product segment in India.

Kairas Vakharia, M&M's business head for construction equipment, said, ''The Mahindra EarthMaster has undergone over 20,000 hours of rigorous testing in the harshest of terrains and for the toughest of applications. It has been validated on all performance, safety and reliability parameters.''

The company said that its product development team has utilised extensive consumer insight and feedback to develop this product which is built to withstand India's rough terrain and heavy usage. In addition, the product offers cutting edge features using the latest vehicle systems and technologies at prices that are within reach of the mass market. 
                                                                 
The Mahindra EarthMaster is powered by Mahindra's DITEC egine, a compact 3.3-itre engine which delivers 83 HP (Ps) power.  The construction of the DITEC engine combining drect ijection (DI) with turbo charger and intercooler delivers over 10 per cent fuel savings per hour, M&M said in a statement, allowing earthmoving contractors to lower their operating cost.

It added, the DITEC engine is packed with the latest technology for minimizing emissions that even meets USA Tier III emission norms, the most stringent in the world.

In an astute marketing move, the company is offering a two-year unlimited hours warranty for every Mahindra EarthMaster, aimed at developing customer confidence in the product.