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AUTOMOTIVE NEWS
Global Vehicles USA Inc., which plans to distribute Indian-made pickups and SUVs, says it will offer hybrid diesel engines as an option on its U.S. vehicle line starting in 2010.

Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., the Mumbai, India, maker of four-cylinder diesel light trucks, has told Global Vehicles that it will offer a hybrid engine option on its products soon after the brand enters the United States in March 2009, Global Vehicles CEO John Perez said.

To date, 300 dealers have signed up to sell the Mahindra line, Perez said. That group includes two dealers in the San Diego area and the company is seeking more.

Perez said the gasoline-electric-hybrid option will improve the trucks' fuel efficiency 25 to 30 percent. Hybrids use an internal combustion engine and one or more electric motors to deliver power to the wheels.

The Mahindra Scorpio SUV (above) is set to go on sale in mid-2009 in two- or four-wheel drive. Features include a clean-burning, high-torque, 2.2-liter, four-cylinder engine and standard six-speed automatic transmission with steering-wheel paddle shifting. The Scorpio is comparable in size to the Honda Pilot.

The pickup, unnamed for the U.S. market so far, is also set for sale in mid-2009. Comparable in size to the Toyota Tacoma, it will have two- and four-door body styles in two- or four-wheel drive, both with the diesel engine. The two-door model has a 7.5-foot cargo bed and payload capacity of 2,600 pounds.

To sidestep a 25 percent U.S. tariff on imported pickups, Mahindra will assemble its pickups at a plant in Ohio, Perez said. An unidentified U.S. truckmaker will assemble the pickups from parts made in India.

Global Vehicles is officials envision annual sales of up to 100,000 pickups and SUVs.

The Alpharetta, Ga., company met privately with its dealers during the recent National Automobile Dealers Association convention in San Francisco.

From what I could gather, these things start at $12,000 and go up to about $20,000 for the "top of the line" SUV.

GM - Chrysler, maybe even Ford............say bye!
 

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