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In Conversation: Anand Mahindra on M&M's automotive aspirations
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The European automotive scene, mired as it is in absolute stagnation, is poised to see some cheer, especially as it has an Indian connect and that comes via Mahindra & Mahindra. The venerable maker of utility vehicles with the term 'sport' sprinkled on a few models is hopeful that its value proposition might just do the trick on the continent. On the eve of the firm's second European foray, Adil Jal Darukhanawala got to spend time with Anand Mahindra, chairman of the eponymous firm and also the architect of much of Mahindra's mobility moves, engaging him on a wide variety of topics. Here is the exclusive full length interview
AJD: Thinking aloud and I’m coming to the Verito, it was also in Europe that this car in its original avatar found a lot of buyers who were value conscious, but Europe being such a mature market their value proposition was lacking style completely. Do you think it will be worth to take coal back to Newcastle and get the Verito to Europe in a certainly Mahindra-ised form?
AM: Unfortunately we will not be allowed to do that because it is still a Renault product, the underpinnings and the engines and such all come from our erstwhile partner. Of course we have localised it substantially since the JV ended and they have given us much more discretion both in the styling as well as in the localisation but at the heart of it the product is still part of the Renault IPR stable so we will not really be able to export that product except with their very specific permission.
AJD: Mahindra today is a big mobility player and it spans the gamut from the big 49-tonne juggernauts with Navistar which is really a very new avenue for you even though you were in commercial vehicles before as well, and then going right down to two-wheelers. It is quite a wide spectrum of mobility on terra firma but you also have ambitions in the air and on water - can you shed some light on that?
AM: Certainly, there is naturally and I don’t grudge that feeling but there is naturally a feeling of skepticism that is this idea of being on land, sea and air and encompassing the whole range of mobility is it simply a nice advertising slogan or is there any meat to it? And I don’t as I said grudge that skepticism, but let me assure you that the logic for us in getting into these areas was one of course, we understand mobility and second it is about engines. Engines are at the heart of all of these. That engine design and development skill is something we think gives an edge to our R&D as we spread it across this entire range.
AJD: It’s very interesting that you should mention the word engine because many a time in India, everyone talks only about overall packaging of the entire vehicle but engine is at the cornerstone of everything as Honda has always strived to project and practice.
AM: I am sure you know that Adil. You look back and ask, why you think our Commander worked; the Commander was a barebones vehicle - the reason it worked was because our engines were the best in the country. They were the most fuel efficient, the most durable and they had the highest resale value. That’s a lesson I learnt early because my first job in Mahindra was in fact running R& D and I had to develop the MDI engine which was crucial for us. It gave a common engine to both the tractor and the utility vehicle and while people might have forgotten this unit now, it was very important solely because it gave us that economy of scale which allowed us to succeed in both those areas.
AJD: I see an edge in performance as well from your engines, where performance is as much about fuel efficiency as anything else.
AM: Performance not necessarily in speed but in terms of driving cycle, in terms of the torque, especially what matters most in India. So I have seen how knowledge of engines and probably arguably the best competence in engine design in India today rests with us that stretches across this whole goal, this whole frame. Clearly if you look at how well we have succeeded in another area which we can’t call mobility that is our Powerol diesel gensets business. From nowhere, we have become one of the major diesel genset manufacturers in the country under the brand Powerol.
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Readers' opinions ( 6 )
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Rajesh
Mahindra's RISE truly inspiring ! Never got Interview call to work when applied two decades back ! ......
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Jason Davis
Truly inspiring reading it was, especially the ideals of this great man
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monu sharma
this is a top asian and m.n.c company. i have succesfully long life.
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lalramsang infimate
I wish to say since the last ten years that Mahindra is "a rising Indian".I hope i dont need to explain more than that.The interview has not been an advertisement of the products.But it has been only relections of the performances the Mahindra has given over the last many good years.Something any Indians will be truely proud of.May the Heavenly blessings continue on Mahindra Co,s good souls.Thanking you.
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rekhesh jain
Dear Adil Jal Darukhanawala,We are very much pleased to read your interview, wishing you perpetual health , peace and creativity to serve some thing constructive, educative and informative to make people and governance aware. In this interview Mr. Anand Mahendra share about education. How much education is important, how much his grand-pa and father was keen, because of that what kind of difference they made in field of science. His answer was amazing. We Indian do not need more than Education, Education itself is the need of the aged, I hope so because, we should take constructive initiative about education and civic sense at the grass root level through their mother language (By well paid primary teacher), basic health facility ( Well paid qualified natural health coach and medical doctors) social security through well paid police community) I believe ! It will make constructive sustainable difference in long term. Otherwise in no time further deterioration will be happen. No god will help us.
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