Mahindra Gio Launched

Mahindra Launches Gio - India's First Compact Truck.

Mahindra Gio is the 1st Compact Truck in 0.5 ton category in India. It comes with a range of features that combine the style, comfort and safety of a 4 wheeler with the low operating and maintenance cost of a 3 wheeler. All this comes along with several class defining features such as better mileage and load optimization, safety and a ‘car like’ feel at an  amazing price of Rs. 1.65 lakh (ex showroom). It also boasts of an unmatched mileage of 27 kmpl. Making it that much more accessible to people across the country, and providing delivery solutions to a range of businesses with transport needs. All this ensures that the vehicle delivers not just payload but loads of prosperity as well to the owner – Gio naye andaaz mein!

This is Mahindra’s 4th product launch this year – cool & trendy Xylo, Mighty Muscular Scorpio, Bolero Maxi Truck - Micro Hybrid & now Gio. All these launches strongly reflect our faith in the chosen path of customer centricity and innovation. And this will continue to reflect in all our future launches.

This truck is kinda cool. Let's hope all three-wheelers go gio-friendly. I like this product. Pricing is amazing. And the small diesel engine sounds rocking.

umm...will anyone convert it into a practical city car?

In other cities (non-mumbai), this diesel vehicle...can it be a competitor to autorickshaws?

Well, it's a mahindra product and there's no such thing as non-VFM Mahindra product.

here's a little more on the Gio

http://www.bsmotoring.com/news/mahindra-gio-compact-truck-isgo/1329/1

What an ugly monstrosity!

And where's the space for this amongst the much more powerful Aces and Apes which carry twice the load?

Seriously - how can a manufacturer release a 'thing' like this in 2009?  Today is the day of automotive disasters - both the Premier Rio and the Mahindra Gio were released today.

Hey Steeroid

That cute little truck there is not a monstrosity. Well I mean if you see it that way, you see it that way. But it kinda looks more like a toy truck. And I get a feeling it will sell. It's a good product to carry four cement bags or 1000 pizzas

On your other 'less powerful' point...I already see myself going at 20 in that single lane behind a loaded Gio

I like this product because it has the potential to replace the three wheeled steelboxes that maneuver like crazy, are unstable and (probably) have less efficient engines.

Also at 25Cr investment, Mahindra is going to break even on this in two quarters max.

But .... what's wrong with the Rio?

12-year-old design, first discarded by Daihatsu, then discarded by Perodua (Kembara) then handed over to the Chinese and now given to us.

Powered by an engine thats nearly 20 years old.

Made by an 'ex manufacturer' with a reputation of building cars that rusted away in no time, provided little or no support and ultimately took everyone for a ride with an IPO after releasing a car that was brought in just to build up the case for an IPO.

Are we in 2009 or is this 1979?

Design can refer to almost everything in the car:

Aesthetics:

The pics don't look bad at all, even by today's standards

Engine:

- 20 year old? Yes. However, I don't believe the regular (pre-vista, non-fiat) Indicas are fitted with Diesel engines that are any better than 20 yr old mainstream diesel models in Europe. So let's say it has a 'regular' non-common-rail diesel. The TUD5 is NOT a bad engine if you see what's already out there on Indian roads.

Other points:

Discarded:

The rights are getting sold, because the rights are saleable, in demand, across regions. Zotye purchased the rights and, as you of course know, PAL is getting the whole car CKD from China, except the transmission.

Manufacturer reputation:

Cars rusted then, they made bad cars for what wasn't even a car market for anyone. The roots of this are in...economic decisions at national level in those days and the history of other thing.... 'licences' preceding it.

Do I like PAL? No. They never wanted to innovate. Are they innovating now? No. Does Rio look like a bad product on paper? No.

Bajaj Auto today is a very respected manufacturer. But we must not forget that if they had a choice, they would have continued to sell us the old scooter even till date.

It's a different game now. This is the first almost-fully made-in-china car on Indian roads. It's far from smashing but it's probably cost-effective. Let's see.

On a sad note, your question is valid: Are we in 2009 or is this 1979? And this needs to be answered also by Tata Motors and Mahindra who don't want to invest enough 'emotion' in R&D to come up with great Indian engines, transmissions, and cars that are rock-stable. It's not a question of capability. The sad fact is our manufacturers lack an intrinsic desire to innovate and to pursue perfection Lexus style. Great cars is a commodity product and making them is NOT rocket science. Tatas/Mahindra and India have enough brainpower to challenge Mercedes within 10 years from now. Do we want to? That's the question.

cheers

In this case, design refers to the whole car.  Here are pictures of a 2000 Perodua Kembara (I've driven one around in Malaysia and its an okay sort of vehicle with the Daihatsu petrol engines - though quite cramped for its size):

I wont debate aesthetics - this is subjective.  Besides, you're the guy who likes those Lego-like Mahindra vehicles that this thread is all about so I wont bother argueing

Except engine and transmission.

I would disagree on this count.  Mahindra have evolved from their CJ-5 vehicle base and have built up some good engines, even if these are evolution of existing engines.  While their vehicles still carry the WW2 legacy in some instances, the fact is that they have moved on - perhaps not as much as they should have since they have been making light vehicles for over 40 years, but still have moved on.

Tata have developed cars, trucks, engines and transmissions of their own.  If they lack anything, its that last-mile attention to detail - else their vehicles are built tough and take a whole lot of abuse.  Horses for courses.  Are they where they should be?  For a manufacturer that wasnt making LMVs until 1999 I think they've come a long way in 10 years and are on the right path - they have at least 4 different platforms and 5-6 engine/transmission combinations developed internally.  Thats a whole lot more effort than copying decade old designs through industrial espionage.

The Gio-Ugly.

The Rio-'chaltha hai'

I didnt find it ugly...its appears more like a cute little truck at affordable price from a respected firm...btw anytime looks better than ace.

Looks can be subjective and in the case of load carriers the same would come last.

The comments above were made taking into consideration similar types of vehicles and the thought process of the manufacturer who would design these vehicles.

Gio

ACE

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