Caught! Mahindra's Diesel Pickup Spied, Looking For New Name
By: Mike Levine Posted: 06-13-08 13:30 PT
© 2008 PickupTrucks.com, Brian Williams for Brenda Priddy & Co.

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We recently wrote about GM's small Brazilian pickup that you can't buy stateside, but If you've ever wondered what an Indian-built diesel pickup would look like on American highways, here's the answer to that (oil)-burning question.

You wouldn't be the only one wondering either. At least one domestic manufacturer wants to know how it drives too, so they bought this overseas version of Mahindra's upcoming U.S. pickup to try out in Michigan.

Originally expected to be called the Appalachian, Mahindra's once-again-yet-to-be-named pickup is expected to go on sale in the U.S. next summer. A source at the company says they want to put the focus back on the Mahindra brand rather than a specific model. The final identifier should be selected by the end of summer. We expect it will have changed to an alphanumeric name.

Mahindra's truck will be powered by the company's new mHawk 2.2-liter inline-four-cylinder diesel engine. The mHawk was designed in cooperation with diesel engineering firms Bosch and AVL with the American pickup market in mind. Power ratings are expected to be in the range of 145-150 horsepower and approximately 300 pounds-feet of torque. The engine will be paired with a standard six-speed automatic transmission, a floor-mounted console shifter and steering-wheel-mounted paddles to manually shift the gearbox.

Mahindra promises the truck will be able to carry a sizeable 1.3-ton (2,600-pound) payload in its 7.5-foot cargo box. It will come with a 60,000-mile, four-year bumper-to-bumper warranty.

The tall roll bar in back of the truck is for testing only.