India’s Mahindra is gearing up to sell its pickups in the United States and has recently completed all the necessary tests to gain approval for the diesel-powered truck. However, Mahindra’s US importer has already missed two launch dates, and is gearing up for a third, this time with the necessary modifications made for regulatory approval.
Joe Perez, CEO of Mahindra’s importer, Global Vehicles, refused to give any details regarding the vehicle’s launch when speaking to Automotive News, citing Mahindra’s unwillingness to name a launch date.
Importing smaller pickup trucks into the United States has traditionally been a difficult exercise, due to an import tax called the “chicken tax“. The chicken tax was a tariff placed on imported small VW trucks to safeguard the domestic automakers stranglehold on the pickup truck market, and has prevented many automakers from competing in this segment. If the Mahindra ends up being imported, it will join a small list of foreign compact pickups not fully assembled in the United States.
[Source: Left Lane News]