Having already captured most of the India’s utility vehicle market, Mahindra, which came out with the Maxximo load and soft top van, now hopes to match it on with Maruti’s super successful Omni and it’s catching on Eeco. With the Maxximo, Mahindra captured close to 20-25% of the small commercial vehicle market. So the all new Maxximo Mini Van Vx BS II hard top is its all new foray into the van segment. What’s more, it’s diesel.
“Our aim is to offer a diesel vehicle that is stylish and best-in-class in space, comfort and operating economics. The hard top Van can be used for the purpose of school van, stage carrier application,used by tour and traveler operator and even the tv crew and inside the airport.” Arun Malhotra, senior VP, Mahindra, said.
Priced quite modestly but higher than its competitors, at 3.47 lakh Rupees, the new Mahindra is the only diesel hard top van in the country. Yet again on the really versatile Maxximo platform, the minivan comes with a robust monocoque chassis, with bigger box section offering a greater rigidity. The booster assisted LSPV brakes and frontal crash protection makes the minivan one of the safest in the country, Mahindra says. According to the figures, it’s still Maruti that’s the leader in the van category. Of the 20,000 units of minivans being sold every month, 12,000 are Maruti’s, followed by Tata and then Mahindra. The Minivan will be launched in a phased manner, starting from Ahmedabad and Jaipur, following which there’ll be a national roll out in 3-6 months.
– Rohit Nair
