Mahindra and Ford Enter Into An Agreement To Co-develop An SUV Platform

Mahindra and Ford have recently formed a new alliance to launch mid-size segment SUVs for the Indian market. The two companies have also issued a joint statement regarding this alliance, which states, “Agreement solidifies the ongoing strategic collaboration between the two companies with a focus on product development for India and emerging markets. New mid-size SUV to be built on a Mahindra product platform and powertrain.”

Mahindra has clearly benefited from its Ssangyong-connection, which should even help the company come up with a market-specific model jointly developed with Ford.

 “I am happy with the significant progress we have made and synergies we have created since the announcement of our strategic alliance with Ford in 2017. Today’s announcement is another significant step in the collaboration between our two companies. Having identified several areas for joint development, both companies will continue to work together to develop products using common product platforms. This will reduce product development costs and gain economies of scale for both companies.” said Dr Pawan Goenka, Managing Director, M&M Ltd.

On the other hand, Jim Farley, president of Ford New Businesses, Technology & Strategy has said, "With today’s announcement, we not only strengthen our ongoing partnership with Mahindra but also sharpen our competitiveness in an important emerging market like India. Ford’s technological leadership combined with Mahindra’s successful operating model and product prowess will surely help us deliver a vehicle that will meet the expectations of customers in India as well as other emerging markets.”

The upcoming SUV that will be jointly developed by Ford and Mahindra will most likely be the next-gen Mahindra XUV500. It will be sold by Ford under a new nomenclature. The duo could source the underpinnings for the new model from the latest Ssangyong Korando, which was revealed last month at this year's Geneva Motor Show. Ford is also planning to close down its operations in India. They will most likely use their existing plants in India to manufacture cars and export them to the foreign markets. Powering this jointly developed SUV will be an all-aluminium 2.2-litre mHawk diesel mill which will come in three different states of tune.

Stay tuned to IndianAuto.com for more updates on the new partnership deed between Mahindra and Ford. 

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