More Indian Cars

[Le Sabre]

Sri Lanka to get new Mahindra vehicles, electric car

India's Mahindra group said it is studying the possibility of introducing its electric vehicle, Mahindra Reva, to the Sri Lankan market and launching new models soon after their launch in India.

Vice chairman Anand Mahindra told a news conference the company was targeting vehicle sales of 10,000 by the 2013 financial year.

The group plans to introduce new models in Sri Lanka soon after they are launched in the Indian market.

"We have ambitious plans for this market," said P N Shah, chief executive, International Operations, Automotive and Farm Sector of Mahindra.

"We will be launching new products in the market in the next few months, new pick-ups, new SUVs (sports utility vehicles).

"The products we launch in India, within one or two months we will be launching them in Sri Lanka."

Mahindra has already established a base for itself in Sri Lanka where it has been selling its range of tractors and utility vehicles for over a decade.

Mahindra’s Automotive Sector has sold over 4,000 vehicles in Sri Lanka since its market entry, a company statement said.

"We are also studying the possibility of introducing an electric car – the Mahindra Reva - in Sri Lanka, in future."

Mahindra group's vehicles are distributed by its local partner, Ideal Motors, which has created a countrywide sales and service network and has also expanded operations in the north and east of the country.

Shah said the group's agent in the island for tractors D*MO has a countrywide network for sales and service which has recently been extended to the north and north-east areas with new outlets being opened in Jaffna, Vavuniya and Kilinochchi.

Nalin Welgama, chairman of Ideal Motors, said that they had sold over 1,500 vehicles, particularly in the light commercial sector, since being appointed as distributors eight months ago.

"It's a growing market because post-conflict areas like the north and east are growing very fast."

Sri Lanka's 30-year ethnic war, fought largely in the north and east, ended in may 2009, resulting in an economic revival with growth forecast at seven percent this year.

Welgama also said they were considering assembling vehicles in Sri Lanka.

"Soon we'll be entering the assembly market."

He said the Ideal Group is associated with South Korea's Ssangyong Motor Co. whose vehicles are locally assembled by Micro Cars.

"Mahindra has just become preferred bidder for Ssangyong Motor. Hopefully it will go through. So we are not new to assembly in Sri Lanka."

[Pericles]

The Reva is already sold here as the c******o Reva, AFAIK. Some pictures in one of the autoshow albums.

And why is this in the Mitsubishi section?