11 FORGOTTEN Mahindra vehicles of India: Armada to Commander

Mahindra and Mahindra has been around for decades in the Indian car market. Starting as a steel trading company, it is now one of the most influential brands in India. Starting its automobile journey by assembling CKD Willys Jeep in India and over the years, it has forged its position in the market as a leading SUV manufacturer. On its way to become the leading SUV manufacturer, Mahindra did launch numerous vehicles and many of them did not become as popular as others and we forgot about them. Well, here are 11 such vehicles that you may not remember or may not even know about from Mahindra and Mahindra.

Mahindra Legend

If you’ve ever imagined where the concept of Thar begun, your answer lies in the Mahindra Legend. It truly started the legendary revolution of Thar. Mahindra launched the Legend on MM540/550 platform and was only offered in the two-door SUV style. It didn’t generate the sales that was expected but instead created its own target group and did quite well. The SUV was powered by a 2.5-litre diesel engine only.

Mahindra Grand Armada

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Following the success of Armada, Mahindra launched the Grand Armada to be just as successful or Armada buyers to spend a little more and have a substantial market share from the Armada. It was targeted towards the premium buyers, who loved the Armada but wanted it to be more luxurious. Mahindra tweaked the design with classier grille and distinctive round headlamps. This gave the Armada a completely different look and was offered in the 4X4 variant as well. The cabin was also much more comfortable than the Armada.

Mahindra Voyager

MUV was a brand new concept in India when the Voyager was launched. The Indian market wasn’t prepared to spend the same amount of money that they spend on an SUV for compromised specs as they didn’t quite understand the utility of a MUV. The Voyager was launched as a rebadged version of Mistubishi LS300. The Voyager was powered by a Peugeot 2.5-litre turbocharged diesel engine.

Mahindra Commander

The Commander was launched by Mahindra during the early ’90s. It did fairly well because of how different it was amongst other Indian mass-produced cars during that time. Mahindra went on to launch many variants of the commander over the 90’s decade. The variants offered a soft top with various seating options. The LWB variant of the Commander did the best in the Indian market. It quickly gained popularity in the semi-urban Indian market especially due to its rugged looks. The Commander was offered in 650 DI and 750 DP versions with both 2WD and 4WD options.

Mahindra Bolero Invader

This 3-door version of the Bolero had its own charm when it was launched. It was a successor to the already popular Bolero MUV. The Invader was targeted towards the young drivers in urban India. IT had a partial soft roof lining with side-facing rear sears. It was powered by a 2.5-litre diesel engine that churned a maximum power of 63 Bhp and a peak torque of 117 Nm. The car didn’t do the numbers expected and therefore was discontinued eventually.

Mahindra AXE

Mahindra is a popular manufacturer for the armed forces not just in India but all around the world. Targetting the Indians who were bent towards massively built cars like Hummer, Mahindra launched the AXE. It was based on an Israeli vehicle and looked very dominating due to the massive tyres. It was powered by a 2.7-litre diesel engine that produced a maximum power of 173 Bhp and a peak torque of 346 Nm. It was also launched with a 4-litre petrol engine.

Mahindra Boats

Mahindra didn’t shy away from diversifying into boats. The brand manufactured many luxury yachts. In fact, Mahindra was India’s first organised boats manufacturer. Mahindra is still prevalent in the boating industry and has rolled out quite a few in the Indian market. They even supply boats to defence forces around the world.

Mahindra ATVs

Mahindra operates mPACT sub-brand in the USA where it sells ATVs under the brand name. There is a wide range of ATVs under the mPACT brand available in the USA market. Interestingly, Mahindra also launched the Roxor ATV in the USA market under the Mahindra brand sometime back.

Mahindra Moto3

Mahindra is very active in the world of motorsports. Mahindra supplies the Motor3 segment racing bikes to various racing teams. It first made its debut at the 2016 Auto Expo in India and is powered by a 250cc, single-cylinder engine. The liquid-cooled engine develops a maximum of around 50 Bhp.

Mahindra Formula E

If you imagined boats to be out of the league for Mahindra, you’d be surprised to know that they also participate in the Formula E (electric) championship. Mahindra is not only one of the most prominent teams to compete in Formula E but also became the first Indian team to complete the FIM championship. The whole car is built by different Mahindra entities.

GenZe

GenZe is a US-based subsidiary of Mahindra and Mahindra. They offer electric two-wheelers. Their flagship two-wheeler comes with a top speed of 50 km/h and has a range of 50 km on a full charge. It takes 2.5 hours to charge completely. The GenZe 2.0 is able to exchange data with AT&T products like Global SIM and Control Centre to suffice what Mahindra likes to call “the GenZe Mobile Rider Solution”. The GenZe 2.0 has been spotted in India which suggests that testing is on its way for Indian roads and the launch can be predicted anytime in the near future.

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