Indian Automaker Mahindra to Build and Sell Diesel Pickup Trucks in the United States

This is great news for anyone looking for a basic truck with impressive performance stats for a reasonable price. According to the article the Mahindra Appalachian will be similar in size to the Toyota Tacoma but will offer much improved gas mileage (30 to 35 miles-per-gallon) and increased cargo capacity - 1.3-ton (2,600-lb) payload in its 7.5-foot cargo box. By comparison, the 2008 Toyota Tacoma has a max payload rating of 1,685-lbs and the 2008 Dodge Dakota has a max payload of 1,720-lbs.

Article Summary:
Two-wheel and Four-wheel-drive versions will be available in 2009.

Mahindra has plans to offer a diesel hybrid pickup in the US by 2010, promising even higher fuel economy figures than the initial offering of a diesel-only truck.

This is the first time a diesel hybrid powertrain has been announced by a truck manufacturer for the U.S. market.
The diesel-only pickup would start at $22,000.

Mahindra spokesman, John Perez, CEO of Global Vehicles U.S.A. (GV-USA), an Alpharetta, Georgia-based automotive import company, who's leading the effort to bring the Indian pickup to the US says, "It's a $40,000 truck that we're going to sell in the mid-$20,000s. This is not Chinese junk."

Production starts March 15, 2009 in India but final assembly of the pickup will take place at an unannounced location in Ohio.