The Hindu : M&M Invader — Value for money

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Apr 14, 2003

Business

Business

M&M Invader — Value for money

POST-WORLD War II, Mahindra & Mahindra had been the largest supplier of off-road vehicles in India and the only supplier of jeeps to the Defence Services for almost four decades. In the mid-1980s, Maruti Suzuki tried to make inroads by offering its Gypsies to the Defence Services but despite offering superior technology it could not be a strong supplier. It took a long time (almost 18 years) to bring at a befitting product to take on Maruti's Gypsy. Today M&M has come out with a competitive alternative that will give not only power, fuel economy and the options of basic luxuries like power steering and air-conditioning to the customer but also the confidence of low cost and nationwide service from its vast network.

Externally it provides some resemblance if an overgrown Gypsy but under the bonnet it has the option of a 2.5 litre diesel engine and a 1.8 litre Isuzu petrol engine along with a five speed gear box.

The Invader is powered by a 2.5 litre IDI diesel engine offering a decent 72.5 bhp output. There is also a DI diesel version available. It has quite an imposing front end, an aerodynamic bonnet design and a canopy that can be rolled back. Besides this it has some customer friendly features such as power steering and the option of an air conditioner with a fibreglass hardtop, a new texture dashboard and high back seats for that little extra hold for the back. The interior is just as basic as it could be and is available in attractive metallic shades of sunrise red, dark green, grand black and silver. A roll down partition and air vents on the soft-top canopy for better ventilation are some of the other unique features.

The Invader will also offer buyers some variants such as the 4x2 and 4x4 options off-roading capability with a four-wheel drive option sporting a Borg Warner 4WD.This vehicle has been developed indigenously by M&M and has been engineered as per requirements of the consumer. A cross-functional team comprising R&D, manufacturing, vendor management, marketing and finance have worked together on this vehicle. M&M's inhouse dye shop capability and validation tests carried out before the launch are bound to make this vehicle successful. The Invader would be available in the four metros, Jaipur and Chandigarh from mid-April. It will have a phased roll out across the country May onwards. M&M plans to market the Invader through a unique dual pronged marketing mix aimed at individual and institutional buyers.

With the price starting at Rs. 3.78 lakhs (ex-showroom Jaipur), the Invader is a great value-for-money proposition.

Tutu Dhawan

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Business

Stories in this Section

Fog of dispute settlement at WTO

Two contrasting styles of economic leadership

Spotting web sites in your neighbourhood

M&M Invader — Value for money

Non-resident taxation gets more complex