India Green Car Advisor Blog on Edmunds' Inside Line

August 26, 2008

Mahindra Elects to Put Diesel Pickup Through More Testing Before Sending to U.S.

Right, Mahindra's Appalachian pickup.

Apparently addressing concerns many Americans might have about spending $20,000 on an Indian-made pickup truck, Mahindra & Mahindra has decided to put 25 of its clean-diesel pickups on U.S. roads to collectively rack up more than 3 million miles in what amounts to additional testing to ensure the model meets U.S. expectations when it goes on sale here in the fall of 2009.

The additional testing will delay the model's U.S. arrival by three months. Mahindra, which sells about 10,000 farm tractors a year in the United States of America, still hopes to be the first Indian company to sell trucks here.

Assuming crude prices remain high, the timing will be good for Mahindra. Although the light-truck market is down, Mahindra's Appalachian pickup -- fitted with a 2.2-liter, four-cylinder engine and a 7.5-foot cargo box -- is expected to get about 30 miles per gallon in combined city and highway driving. That's considerably better that what its likely competitors -- the gasoline-powered Ford Ranger and Toyota Tacoma -- get, and the diesel pickup would likely deliver much better towing power.

While it's true that diesel fuel now sells for about 14 percent more than regular gasoline, diesels typically get fuel economy that is 20 percent to 30 percent higher than gasoline-powered engines. And, the Appalachian is expected to meet the emission requirements of all 50 U.S. states, putting it squarely in the so-called "clean diesel" corner.

The Appalachian will be available in two- and four-door versions when it reaches approximately 300 dealers nationwide during the fourth quarter of next year. The same vehicle with a hybrid drivetrain is expected to enter the U.S. market the following year for about $5,000 more before any available tax credits are applied.

Mahindra says the truck will be available in two- and four-wheel drive, come standard with a paddle-shift six-speed automatic transmission, and have a payload capacity of about 2,600 pounds. Final assembly of the Appalachian will be conducted in Ohio to avoid a 25-percent federal import tariff.

Scott Doggett, Contributor

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (4); Scott Doggett August 26, 2008, 8:42 AM
Categories:: Diesel, Emissions, Ford, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, India, Mahindra, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Appalachian Pickup

June 11, 2008

Ford Exec Says U.S. Gov't Must Invest in Plug-in Hybrids

An Escape plug-in ethanol-electric hybrid that Ford is currently road testing.

Ford Motor Co.'s top executive for North America said today that the federal government must make plug-in hybrid vehicles "a national priority" and substantially invest in them, or risk swapping one foreign energy dependency for another.

"For those looking to plug-ins to answer our energy security concerns, we must ensure a domestic battery supply," Mark Fields told a conference on plug-in hybrids in Washington. "Moving from imported oil to imported batteries clearly would not address this growing concern."

Fields said that based on the necessary research and development costs, manufacturing and production investments, the lack of a national refueling infrastructure, and the lack of domestic battery manufacturing, "it seems clear that a business case will not evolve, in the near term, without support from Washington."

Detroit automakers have long complained that foreign nations spend far more on research into advanced batteries for hybrids...

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett June 11, 2008, 6:55 PM
Categories:: Batteries, China, Ethanol, Ford, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, India, Plug-ins and Electric

June 2, 2008

Tata-Chrysler Deal Could Bring Nano Minicar EV to U.S., Tata Also Confirms Low-speed Electric Truck Plans

Ace mini-truck may hit U.S. as low-speed electric vehicle in Tata-Chrysler deal.

By Nick Kurczewski, Contributor

In a move that could have strong implications for the arrival of the ultra-low-cost Tata Nano mini-car in the U.S. market, Tata Motors has announced that it’s teaming with Chrysler LLC to build mini-trucks in America, at least one model a low-speed electric vehicle.

Speaking with reporters in Mumbai last week, P.M. Telang, executive director at Tata Motors, confirmed a January report that the two manufacturers will develop battery-electric versions of the trucks. Tata Motors and Chrysler have given no specifics about the trucks themselves, and no production date or manufacturing site has been confirmed.

However, a glance at Tata’s current Indian market offerings shows that the most probable candidate is the company’s Ace mini-truck.

With prices starting at only $5,000, the Ace is a cut-price utility vehicle that can be had as either a small pickup or passenger van.

Rugged and cheap, the Ace could be a handy delivery vehicle for the American market – especially in crowded city centers. But its feeble17-horsepower two-cylinder diesel engine would have to go as it’s too under-powered for American roads.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); John O'Dell June 2, 2008, 3:01 AM
Categories:: Chrysler, India, Plug-ins and Electric, Tata

May 30, 2008

GM Reps Green Up Launch Party for Eco TV Network

Celebrity poses with man in tree costume at launch party for green TV network.

By Scott Doggett, Contributor

The launch party for Planet Green, a 24-hour eco-lifestyle cable TV network that will displace the Home channel starting June 4, was anything but green.

The celebrities who attended Wednesday night 's event at L.A.'s Greek Theater mostly arrived in stretch limousines and gas-snorting SUVs. At least two – Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee and rapper Ludacris – arrived in personal buses.

The tabloid darlings strolled a green plastic carpet to a man in a tree costume to pose for paparazzi, oblivious to the live majestic oaks mere steps away.

Minutes later the celebrities were treated to cocktails "made from organic vodka" served in plastic cups and hors d'oeuvres made from macaroni and cheese served on plastic plates.

Oddly, the greenest VIPs at the event that we're aware of seemed to be the two men from General Motors Corp., who brought with them a fuel-cell vehicle and some positive automotive news.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett May 30, 2008, 11:17 AM
Categories:: Chevrolet, China, Diesel, Dodge, Emissions, Flex-Fuel, Fuel Cell, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Honda, Hybrid, India, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota

May 20, 2008

Fuel Economy Forcing Pickup Market Shakeup

Rising gas costs are moving market from pickups like this Ford F-150...

...to compacts such as this Mahindra diesel from India, coming in 2009.

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

What a difference a few bucks make. The full-size pickup truck, once the cash cow of the domestic auto industry, seems to be on the way, well, not out, but certainly down.

They've become victim of soaring gas prices – although perhaps it would be more accurate to say they've been penalized by their own, inherent, fuel inefficiency.

To help cope, Ford Motor Co., whose F-Series has been the best-selling line of full-size trucks for years, is considering a downsized version of its F-150, according to reports in the Detroit News and the industry journal Automotive News.

And General Motors Corp. is reconsidering the future of the big pickup n a market study aimed at forecasting demand for full-size pickups and SUVs four years from now.

The study will help GM's product planners decide whether to continue pursuing the present shift toward fuel-efficient smaller vehicles and away from big trucks.

Falling Fast

Sales of full-size pickups in the U.S. are down almost 40 percent since 2005.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (5); John O'Dell May 20, 2008, 1:07 PM
Categories:: Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, India, Mahindra

February 20, 2008

Indian Truck Maker Eyeing Ohio for Assembly Plant

Indian automaker Mahindra & Mahindra is talking to officials in Ohio about the possibility of building a light truck plant there.

The company has said it wants to start selling a small, fuel-efficient diesel-hybrid pickup truck in the U.S. and the Columbus Dispatch newspaper reported today that Ohio state development department officials have confirmed that they've been talking to Mahindra.

The state officials would not confirm that the discussions involved construction of a truck factory.

But Global Vehicles USA, an Alpharetta, Georgia, company that has a U.S. distribution deal with Mahindra, told the newspaper that the company does want to assemble trucks in Ohio from component kits shipped from India.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); John O'Dell February 20, 2008, 11:45 AM
Categories:: India, Mahindra

February 11, 2008

Tata's $2,500 Car Slated for Europe in 2012

India's Tata Motors wants to bring the next generation of its super-affordable Nano car to the European market by 2012, the company's compact car projects director said in an interview with the German magazine Focus.

"We will develop a successor model in four years time, which will meet the Euro 5 emission regulations and the crash standards in Europe," Girish Wagh was quoted as saying in an advance abstract of the article published Sunday and reported by Reuters news service.

Tata unveiled the $2,500 Nano, the world's cheapest car, at the New Delhi auto show in January and said production of the four-seater would begin lateer this year fat the Tata factory in West Bengal.

Tata has said it will initially produce about 250,000 Nanos and expects eventual annual demand of 1 million units...

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell February 11, 2008, 12:00 PM
Categories:: India, Tata

January 23, 2008

Chrysler Reported in U.S. Electric Truck Deal With Tata

Tata Ace could be heading for U.S. as a low-speed electric truck.

Chrysler Corp. and India's Tata Motors reportedly have signed a development deal for Chrysler's neighborhood electric car unit to import and market a new vehicle based on the Tata Ace mini-truck.

While the 1-ton truck uses a 17 horsepower diesel motor in India, the U.S. version would use a battery-electric drivetrain from Chrysler's Global Electric Motors, according to a report this week in India's Business Line magazine.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell January 23, 2008, 2:30 PM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, India, Plug-ins and Electric, Tata

January 16, 2008

And Now, For Something Completely Different ...

Our correspondent tries hydrogen rickshaw on for size.

By Nick Kurczewski, Contributor

NEW DELHI -- Squeezing into the non-existent passenger space of a vehicle built for one turned out to be the easy part.

The driver, seated in the center, and directly behind what looked to be a set of motorcycle handlebars, attempted to fire up the hydrogen-burning engine, again and again.

A sputter, a grumble from the exhaust, one or two feet of forward motion, and then … nothing. The bright blue three-wheeler’s one-cylinder two-stroke motor died, and the trike came to an abrupt stop.

India’s hydrogen-powered future faces similar false starts and the occasional stumble.

But the fact that the world’s 3rd largest economy (in purchasing power) has a roadmap for hydrogen in the first place – not to mention a Ministry of New and Renewable Energy – might come as something of a surprise to those who expect the country’s emissions regulations to be woefully outdated.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell January 16, 2008, 11:45 AM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Auto Shows, Hydrogen, India, Mahindra