Mahindra is celebrating the 10 000th South African-assembled Pik Up vehicle rolling off its production line in KwaZulu-Natal.
The milestone comes four years after Mahindra opened its South African assembly facility at the Dube Trade Port Special Economic Zone outside Durban, the India-based vehicle manufacturer said in a statement yesterday.
“It is a moment of pride to see the Pik Up roll off the assembly line, knowing it has become a much-loved part of the South African bakkie market. We are committed to make South Africa our second home outside of India, and we look forward to further developing this facility to increase production volumes with higher local content and to also expand our reach into more countries in Africa,” said Sachin Arolkar, head of international operations at Mahindra’s automotive division.
Mahindra South Africa first opened the facility in May 2018, with a single assembly line and limited vehicle line-up. Since then, the facility has reached peak single-shift production and added several additional models, special editions and customised vehicles, which it builds in partnership with the team at Mahindra’s Specialist Fitment Centre in Gauteng.
Mahindra South Africa chief executive Rajesh Gupta said the past four years had been tough, with the Covid-19 pandemic, riots in KwaZulu-Natal, the recent floods that ravaged the province and an ongoing challenge with components and global shipping.
Mahindra South Africa reached a new sales benchmark in the first quarter of this year when it averaged sales of more than 1 000 units a month, with the Pik Up leading the charge for the commercial vehicle division.
“The facility has enabled us to adapt to market needs and to serve our bakkie customers faster. For instance, our special Farmer’s Edition sold out within days of its launch and our Karoo and new Karoo Dusk, Dawn and Storm models are now available, thanks largely to the local assembly facility,” said Rajesh.
edward.west@inl.co.za
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