The fast evolving EV landscape is witnessing new breakthroughs, new products, new techs being tested and deployed at a rapid pace. These are the best times for innovators to thrive and survive. Entry Barriers were never this low and porous.
Till a Few Years back, Mahindra was just a tractor and MUV maker in India. The Average American would have still lived with the same perception, if Mahindra Automotive North America (MANA ) had not come up last November. MANA is the first investment in an automotive manufacturing plant in Detroit in the last quarter century. Its akin Silicon Valley not getting a single new Tech Lab or Dev Center for that long!
Last month, the world woke up to a press release from Rome, Italy. It declared Mahindra’s entry into the exciting and niche space of Electric Hypercars. The new identity for the electric Hypercars being Automobili Pininfarina.
In 2015, Mahindra acquired the legendary 88 Year old Italian Design house Pininfarina. It surely was the wake up call for the west, as a supposed tractor & MUV making company bought the house which designs Ferraris, Maseratis & Alfa Romeos.
Coming back to Mahindra’s Electric Hypercars, these Bugatti Chiron Challengers shall have the badging of Pininfarina, the unfulfilled wish of the Pininfarina patriarch and founder Battista “Pinin” Farina.
“This development is anything but sudden. It’s an exceptional master plan being executed with craft, experience and acumen. It has the speed of a garage startup and the business prowess of an established Business Tycoon.”
In April this year Mahindra & Mahindra entered into a joint venture with Ideal Motors Ltd., a fully owned subsidiary of the Ideal Group, to assembly automotive vehicles in Sri Lanka.
“Sri Lanka is one of Mahindra’s top three export markets and the new facility will not only contribute to human capital development, but will also enable collective development of local automotive components manufacturers to international standards under the global expertise of Mahindra. This is a leap forward for the Industry, adding value to the meaning of ‘Made in Sri Lanka’ and opening broader opportunities for national growth”, said Founder chairman of Ideal Motors, Nalin Welgama.
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