Mahindra Automotive North America signs 215 dealers in 4 months

Mahindra Vehicle Sales and Service, Inc, the sales and marketing arm of Mahindra Automotive North America (MANA), has signed 215 dealers in less than four months. Mahindra is building a new powersports dealer network to distribute its new Roxor off-highway vehicle – which had its global reveal today – at its assembly plant in Auburn Hills, Michigan. 

Mahindra will officially launch the product at a National Dealer Meeting scheduled for March 18-20 in San Antonio, where dealers will be presented future product plans and consumer marketing programs.   

“The tremendous response we’re getting from our dealers is proof that we’re bringing a product to market that will create a whole new subcategory in the SXS segment,” said Rick Haas, president and CEO, Mahindra Automotive North America.  

Mahindra began hiring its sales staff late in Q3, 2017 and now has a team of 17 with an average of 20+ years’ experience.  Initial dealer recruitment began in October 2017. “We knew we had a game-changing product, and we’ve put together a competitive dealer agreement, but the positive response and signups we’re getting has far exceeded our expectation, said Luc De Gaspe Beaubien, VP of Sales and Service, Mahindra Vehicles Sales and Service, Inc. “And these are all topline dealers, not “C” dealers willing to take on anything,” added de Gaspe Beaubien.
 
Don Musick, founder/CEO of Genesys Technology Solutions, and a well-respected powersports industry analyst with over 25 years industry experience confirmed that, “In the 15 years that we have been monitoring powersports dealer networks, no other OEM has achieved this level of net dealer signups annually, let alone in 4 months.  Their plan has gained a lot of traction very quickly.”  

“Mahindra’s dealer agreement is designed as a pull-system model that includes competitive dealer margins, a true order-to-delivery system, and a solid dealer support infrastructure – all in place now,” de Gaspe Beaubien stated.  “When our product hits the market next month, our dealers will be poised to earn significant profits.”   

BORN IN THE USA
The Roxor off-highway vehicle, unlike anything on the US market today, will be fully assembled and supported at a new 150,000 square foot facility in Auburn Hills, MI, just north of Detroit.  

The Roxor has been designed and engineered and will be assembled in Auburn Hills, MI by Mahindra Automotive North America (MANA), the newly established NA Automotive headquarters of the $19 billion Mahindra Group. MANA’s new HQ is the central component of the 400,000 square feet (spanning 3 facilities) footprint Mahindra now has in Metro Detroit, and is the first OEM manufacturing/assembly facility to open operations in Southeast Michigan in over 25 years. 

MANA, set up in 2013, works as a comprehensive automotive design, engineering and vehicle development centre for the Indian OEM. The new facility is part of the company’s expansion plans, and becomes a part of its $230 million (Rs 1,452 crore) investment in Southeast Michigan, which also includes a recently-opened warehouse and logistics operation in Pontiac and an existing prototype operation in Troy.

M&M set up the Mahindra North America Technical Centre four years ago in Troy, Michigan, to “leverage the automotive talent and intellect surrounding Detroit”.

MANA, in the past 18 months, has tripled its workforce to 250, and by 2020 aims to create 400 more jobs, which will see additional projects and investment of another $600 million (Rs 3,790 crore) in local investments.