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Russell Burling, sales (left) and Satish Chandra, national sales manager of Mahindra.
Tractor maker Mahindra produces 300,000 units per year and is reckoned the world's largest producer by volume.
Worldwide staff of 180,000 generate a group turnover of US$16.8 billion, and business acquisitions during the past few years have resulted in new products coming to market.
New for Fieldays 2016 was the Japanese-made Mahindra 1538 HST which should prove popular with landscapers, horticulturalists and small scale farmers.
Powered by a 3-cylinder common rail Mitsubishi diesel engine pushing out 38hp, its get-up-and-go is provided by a three stage hydrostatic transmission with cruise control, able to match forward or reverse speeds exactly to the job in hand.
A more traditional mechanical transmission is fitted to the 34hp, 1533 model -- a mechanical synchronised version with eight forward and reverse speeds, better suited to operating on undulating terrain.
Outwardly the maker has ditched the traditional Indian look; this tractor has a curvy one-piece hood and modern curved rear fenders.
Access to the semi-flat operator platform is by a simple step up from either side, and the operator when seated has a view enhanced by a down-swept exhaust system, while a folding ROPS frame allows easy entry to areas of limited headroom.
At the rear of the tractor is a Cat 1 three point linkage system and a single 540rpm PTO. The machine comes standard with industrial spec tyres; turf or agricultural tyres are available.
Buyers get a comprehensive three-year/2000 hour warranty.
While the average size of a tractor in India is much smaller than in Europe or North America, the market is booming, with a record 915,474 tractors sold last year – five times greater than the Western European and three times larger than North American markets.
A bit like Vegemite, the first impression raised when you encounter a Mahindra Pik Up is love or hate – with one motoring journalist saying it had looks “only a mother could love.”
John Deere and Mahindra have squared off in the US over the latter’s advertising claims.
Mahindra, seeking to reintroduce its products to Kiwis, recently took motoring journalists on a day-long drive from Auckland to Rotorua, an off-road excursion in the Mamakau Forest and a dash to Taupo.
Any way you look at it the Mahindra numbers are impressive: 500,000 vehicles a year, 200,000 employees, $US17 billion turnover and $US1 billion cash in the bank.
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