http://cars.ebay.com.au/?cmd=SearchListing&sacat=&a39=1946&a41=66095&a33512=63102&saprclo=&saprchi=&a6=-24&pf=Show+Items&tatitle=&a85=-24&sabfmts=0&fdrv=1&sadis=200&fpos=Postcode
yup.. No big F250's superdutys in australia..
none at all.
(Ok so they tried and it was a sales flop)
^^^^^ ok......I went to Xe.com and did an exchange rate on those ebay listings....
http://cars.ebay.com.au/FORD-F150-HARLEY-UTE_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQitemZ120447457256
came out to $98,000 USD?
I didn't say there weren't any. But in a couple of weeks of traveling around, I think I saw one. Around here, I'll see a half dozen while waiting to cross the street.
It's fairly obvious that a giant 250 is just the wrong answer to how Australians go about their business. I think it's a cultural thing - Americans want a truck that will tow the biggest thing they might ever possibly have to move, with a 50% margin of safety. From seeing what's on the road, I'm guessing Aussies will choose a truck that will do the job 364 days a year and hire something/somebody to do that One Big Job on the other day. If you only take the caravan on holiday for a couple of weeks a year, then it's okay to have a truck that will be a bit slower when towing it. Around here, if you can't pull your trailer up Vail pass at 70 mph, your truck is too small.
Ignorant's search for "Ford F-series, 2000-2009" in Australia pulled up 20 trucks. Change that to "Toyota Hilux" with the same year range and you get 251 trucks to choose from.
Grtechguy wrote: ^^^^^ ok......I went to Xe.com and did an exchange rate on those ebay listings.... http://cars.ebay.com.au/FORD-F150-HARLEY-UTE_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQitemZ120447457256 came out to $98,000 USD?
That's only a valid price if someone actually buys it :) The auction ends today and there aren't any bids.
Article in the local newspaper today. Mahindra Article The local Lincoln Mercury dealer will be selling them.
Looks like price starts in low 20's for 2-wheel and high 20's for 4-wheel.
that sounds kinda steep for a compact truck, diesel or not.
Hey I said it was a sales flop. Not many folks in Aussieland want that big diesel sucking 7.3 PSD. But it flies in the face of everyone who says theres NO F250 in Aussieland....
E36 M3 I'd take a Navara or a Aussie Tacoma or a Landcruiser 70 series with an Al tray anyday over a big lumbering ford.
"F-trucks" are about, and ~$100K is absolutely what that ltd edition Harley model with the supercharger and DVD screens is likely to sell for. They're usually owned by people with a shiny hotrod tucked away in the garage, and a Chevy bowtie badge on their SS ute.
In my experience at track days and hillclimbs, the most popular tow vehicle is a turbo diesel Landcruiser, or an old Falcon/Commodore hack, usually fitted with the factory-offered 'tow package' (trans cooler, bigger radiator, big battery etc.)
I was looking at the "Mahindra four door truck" for at least ten minutes trying to figure out why it looked so oddly familiar even though I've never seen it before,then it hit me...
James Van Der Beek...this is the James Van Der Beek of the pickup world.
Latest update:
Mahindra Pickup Arrives Late, But Well-Equipped
Expect Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.’s first U.S.-market offering to make its showroom debut in first-quarter 2010.
In deference to the demanding nature of American consumers, Mahindra tweaked the yet-unnamed small pickup, which delayed by about three months its production launch, Ward’s learns.
Output of U.S.-specification models now is set for December at the auto maker’s assembly plant in Nasik, India, with showroom arrival scheduled for early to mid-February.
Meanwhile, Mahindra has shelved tentative plans to build the 2- and 4-door models, known internally as TR20 and TR40, respectively, in Ohio.
Domestic production “is something that is on the agenda to be pursued at another time,” says Larry Daniel, senior vice president-sales and marketing, of Mahindra’s U.S. arm, Global Vehicles U.S.A. Inc.
In a telephone interview from Global’s headquarters in Alpharetta, GA, Daniel tells Ward’s he expects Mahindra to “make an investment and employ some Americans” when industry volumes begin to trend upward.
Through June, small pickup sales in the U.S. totaled 131,290 units, a shortfall of 43.1% compared with the first six months of 2008, according to Ward’s data.
U.S.-specification truck closely resembles model launched last week in Australia.
Target volume for Mahindra reportedly is in the 50,000-unit range.
To make the truck more appealing to U.S. consumers, its front end was restyled and now features “jewel-like qualities,” adds Max Butler, Global vice president-marketing. The U.S.-specification truck closely resembles the model launched last week in Australia, he says.
The truck will be powered by a 140-hp 2.2L 4-cyl. diesel engine with projected combined city-highway fuel-economy of 30 mpg (7.8 L/100 km). Available with 2-wheel drive or 4-wheel drive, it also will feature a 6-speed automatic transmission and electronic stability control.
Despite a 2,633-lb. (1,194-kg) payload rating that rivals the fullsize Ford F-250 Super Duty – Ford Motor Co. data show four trim levels with payloads under 2,600 lbs. (1,170 lbs.) – Daniel anticipates outdoors enthusiasts will outnumber work-oriented buyers 3:1, with the latter demographic gravitating toward the 2-door model.
Steve Taylor, president of Ohio-based Taylor Automotive Group, is one of more than 300 dealers who look forward to selling Mahindra vehicles.
“We’re thinking we can lease (the pickup) to small businesses,” Taylor tells Ward’s, adding the diesel engine likely will become a selling feature as gasoline prices increase.
The per-gallon average price of diesel fuel in the U.S. was $2.58, $0.06 higher than the pump price of gas, according to the American Automobile Assn. But diesel engines are 20% to 30% more efficient than their gasoline-burning counterparts.
Particularly enthusiastic about the prospects of Mahindra SUV expected to arrive in mid- to late-2010, Taylor also is buoyed by results of an AutoPacific study that says American consumers are warm to an Indian-brand vehicle. “It’s a world market and it’s on a roll,” he says.
The study findings are consistent with Mahindra’s vision of a customer base that comprises “independent thinkers,” Daniel says.
“They don’t really care about what people think about what they’re driving,” he adds. “They’re influencers. They’re not followers. I think they’ll be out there with their kayaks, and they’ll be out hiking and doing all the things (like putting) surfboards on top in California.”
Says Butler, noting Mahindra’s track record as India’s top truck maker: “This is a very robust product. It’s based on and built for an environment where it has to hold up very well.”
Daniel does not expect the names TR20 and TR40 to pass muster within Mahindra’s marketing ranks because of its similarity to Toyota Motor Corp.’s TRD trim levels. The Toyota Tacoma, along with the Nissan Frontier and Dodge Dakota, are among the trucks Mahindra is targeting as direct competitors.
Daniel favors the Australian nameplate: Pik Up. “That hit me and I like it,” he says, promising Mahindra’s pricing strategy will “blow away” the segment. However, Daniel does not reveal numbers.
The U.S. truck will come with a 4-year, 60,000-mile (96,560-km) warranty.
The Kubota RTV1100 sells for about $18k for a "foreign make". If these Indian trucks can be built tough enough and cheap enough I think they can do a fair amount of business.
dyintorace wrote: Meanwhile, Mahindra has shelved tentative plans to build the 2- and 4-door models, known internally as TR20 and TR40, respectively, in Ohio.
So..um...they're going to sell a 1 door model then? What truck design are they actually bringing over?
Xceler8x wrote: Meanwhile, Mahindra has shelved tentative plans to build... in Ohio.
The quote says that the trucks will not be built in Ohio, as originally planned.
4 door. Manual trans 4x4 and I'm In for 1.
thanks bye
I mentioned this to a client in Trinidad today. These have been available there for some time. Considering that 40% of the population is Indian descent, he says they are not very popular there. Says that it has a tractor motor. Does not sound like a good sign.
Some Aussie Mahindra reviews.
2007 Mahindra Pik-Up Single Cab/Dual Cab
Here's a review from Pickuptrucks.com It's not quite what we're getting, but it's a good review.
Love the radio, however.
Wow, those reviews are all over the board. Honestly, though, from my perspective, to say that the interior fit/finish is two generations behind isn't such a bad thing.
I've been campaigning for a pickup like this for a long time (granted the one in my imagination wasn't so awkward looking).
Interesting...
jrw1621 wrote: The Kubota RTV1100 sells for about $18k for a "foreign make". If these Indian trucks can be built tough enough and cheap enough I think they can do a fair amount of business.
Kinda looks like a Mahindra Pikup...
I saw that same black pickup in the pickuptrucks.com review tooling around Atlanta. I might be weird and like ugly things but I thought it was kinda cool. If the price and my situation is right I would certainly consider it.
No 8' box? 4x8 sheet of anything not gonna fit without tail gate down and tying things up. PITA. Hope it 4' between the wheel wells.....
No manual trans? FAIL!!
No frills diesel? +1.5
In reply to Gearheadotaku:
you mean like pretty much every compact pickup sold in america? they seem to sell fairly well regardless of the lack of an 8' bed with 4' between the wheelwells.
i also lament the lack of a manual option, but really it would only make it more expensive to bring the truck to market in the US and wouldn't garner that many more sales imo. hopefully they'll offer a manual option once they get their foot in the door with the US market.
Strizzo wrote: i also lament the lack of a manual option, but really it would only make it more expensive to bring the truck to market in the US and wouldn't garner that many more sales imo. hopefully they'll offer a manual option once they get their foot in the door with the US market.
Why do you lament the lack of a manual tranny? It probably would get negligibly better gas mileage, and I bet that their auto (which is a 6 speed if you didn't notice) is stronger than the manual. No clutch to be burnt out. While I prefer to row my own gears in EVERYTHING I own, the one place this gets put aside is for a tow/haul vehicle. Having two hands on the wheel along with (hopefully) a capable tow/haul mode with good engine braking makes towing/hauling a lot easier.
I can see reason in the fact it only has 150hp/300ftpnds of torque and you'd probably want every last bit of that if doing any sort of hauling with it. I bet its only a chip and an exhaust away from 350/400ftpnds though 
In reply to HiTempguy:
because i prefer to have the choice, rather than having none at all. i understand the advantages of the auto, and if its programmed half-decent, i'm sure it'll be adequate.
crossed fingers on the chip and exhaust
I don't see how this will work if assembled outside of the US. Doesn't the US have big tariffs on pickups built outside of the US/Canada?
I think this is why we do not get the true Toyota Hilux and instead get the California built Tacoma? In addition we get the Tennesee built Nissans and the re-badged Dodges sold through Mitsubishi.
I expect that the tariffs will suck up price advantages.
Edit: some more research and I find that Pickups assembled outside of US, Canada and Mexico carry a 25% tariff, also known as "the chicken tax"
http://www.freetrade.org/node/532
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/auto/tariffs-limit-choice-in-small-pickups/article106633/
http://www.dlc.org/print.cfm?contentid=253325
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