Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) is gaining market share in the small Commercial Vehicle (CV) segment at a rapid pace. It launched a hard-top mini-van after acquiring a share of more than 20-25 per cent in the mini truck segment. The new launch from M&M will deliver a stringent competition to Maruti Suzuki Omni and Eeco. New Maxximo mini-van Vx BS III made its debut on July 6, 2012 in Ahmedabad and is offered with a price tag of Rs. 3.7 lacs (ex-showroom, Ahmedabad). This solitary diesel hard-top van in India offers a decent mileage of 18-20 kmpl by means of C2 common rail diesel powertrain. In terms of space, the vehicle holds around 30-40 per cent advantage over Maruti Omni.
Senior Vice-President, Sales and Customer Care, Automotive Division, M&M, Arun Malhotra, said, “Our aim is to offer a diesel vehicle that is stylish and best-in-class in space, comfort and operating economics. The hard top Van can be used for the purpose of school van, stage carrier application, used by tour and traveller operator and even the TV crew and inside the airport.”
As per industry experts, every month at least 20,000 mini-vans are sold in the country and the segment is growing by 8-10 per cent every year. Presently, Omni and Eeco are rejoiced with sales of more than 12,000 units every month and, thus, Maruti Suzuki is ruling the turf. The car maker is then followed by Tata Motors with its Magic and Magic Iris selling 4,500-6,000 units a month. The league is third followed by Mahindra with sales of 2,000-2,500 units of Maxximo mini-van every month. With the new launch, M&M is hoping to surge its monthly volume by 1,500 units.
The new mini-van will be released in different phases with Ahmedabad and Jaipur being the first venues of launch and then the vehicle will be launched across the nation in next 3-6 months. New offering from the stables of Mahindra has been developed on the flexible Maxximo platform and the same is shared by the Maxximo load, semi hard top van and a CNG pick up. According to M&M, the new Maxximo mini-van Vx BS III is the safest vehicle in its segment, owing to its strong monocoque chassis which has been constructed with larger box-sections.
Malhotra stated, “This sliding door hard top variant of the Maxximo mini-van has undergone rigorous test runs and has been validated on all performance, safety and reliability parameters. The vehicle is further supported by Mahindra's service network, which is one of the largest and spread across the country.”
