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As I got back from a weekend vacation, I came back to my desk and saw a nondescript white 8.5x11 envelope on my desk. I opened it up, and it was a press kit on the upcoming Mahindra line of pickups and SUVs.
Okay, that probably means about as much to you as if I would have said, the "new Um-papa-mow-mow trucks." Well, perhaps a brief history lesson is in order. Mahindra has been selling agricultural equipment in the U.S. for several years now, and the company's history dates back to 1949, when it assembled Jeeps under licence with Willys in India. Since then, the company has developed many light commercial vehicles in-house, and has partnered with companies such as Ford, Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi in joint-venture projects. Anyway...history lesson over. Let's get to the nitty-gritty.
 What we have here, is the potential revival of the true mini-truck. Okay, I'll come out and say what you're probably all thinking. It won't win any beauty contests. One look at it confirms that it was built for bare-bones functionality. When was the last time you saw rope hooks on the outside of the bed? 1985 Toyota? The press kit was rather vague with details, but here's what it did say. It will probably go on sale as a 2009 model with a wheelbase of 119.7 inches and a 7.5 foot bed. The standard transmission is listed as a six-speed automatic. No specific details as far as gear ratios were mentioned. Also no mention of whether or not a manual transmission will be offered. It appears it will be available as a 2WD or 4WD, with an oddly-proportioned crew cab model with a truncated bed also available.
While the press kit didn't have many details on the engine, a little Googling came up with a 2.6 liter turbodiesel 4-cylinder sold in other markets that produces approximately 109 horsepower and 188 lb./ft. of torque. But seeing as emissions standards are virtually non-existent in India, there's a good chance we'll either get an all-new engine, or a heavily revised version of this one to meet tight US smog standards.
Probably a lot of you are saying, "There's no way I'd buy some Indian POS truck." Well, if you want a true mini truck, you may not have a whole lot of other options. Almost all the big-name manufacturers have gone to midsize or larger, and pricetags that have inflated correspondingly.
I too, approach the Mahindra with a healthy dose of skepticism. So maybe it's not exactly a Toyota. Then again, I know that the roads and conditions in India aren't exactly glass-smooth, and that anything built to take the pot-holed streets, triple-digit temperatures and high humidity, and basic mechanical repairs has got to be pretty tough. So I'm willing to take a look when it comes stateside, if nothing else, out of sheer curiosity.
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