GV Press Release: GV to Protect 8,300 Potential US Jobs

This just in from US Mahindra truck importer, Global Vehicles USA:

Global Vehicles Takes Steps to Protect 8,300 Potential U.S. Jobs


ALPHARETTA, Ga., Nov. 11, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Vehicles USA, Inc., announced today that it will be taking new steps to protect more than 8,300 potential U.S. jobs associated with the launch of Mahindra pickup trucks in the United States, including requesting that the states of Florida and Georgia hold administrative hearings to determine whether Mumbai, India-based Mahindra & Mahindra and its local employees are violating state motor vehicle franchise laws.

Global Vehicles has been the exclusive U.S. distributor of Mahindra vehicles since 2006, and the company has recruited a network of 347 dealers who are prepared to sell Mahindra pickups immediately, now that they have passed federal certification tests.

Mahindra threw the launch plans into disarray this summer by attempting to arbitrarily remove Global Vehicles as its distributor, and by suggesting through a spokesman that it may do business in the future with some dealers but not all of them.

Earlier this year, Mahindra said the launch was on-track for late 2010. Now the company refuses to commit to a launch date.

"We are ready to sell trucks, and that remains our goal," said John Perez, CEO of Global Vehicles. "By our calculation, Mahindra's delays and disruptions are putting more than 8,300 potential jobs at risk at our dealers, at the ports, in the trucking industry and throughout the supply base."

According to Perez, these figures count only the employment associated with the launch phase. The long-term jobs outlook is even greater because the U.S. economy is recovering, and consumers want a 30-mile-per-gallon compact truck that can haul as much as a heavy-duty pickup.

"Global Vehicle's dealers are experienced and well capitalized, and have access to more than $1 billion in credit facilities to support their facilities, order vehicles and deliver outstanding customer service," Perez said. "We believe first-year sales could reach 30,000 units, worth $750 million."

Global Vehicles has asked the Georgia Department of Revenue and the Florida Department of Safety and Motor Vehicles for hearings to determine whether Mahindra is violating state franchise laws by acting in bad faith with Global Vehicles and its dealers, who together have invested more than $100 million to bring Mahindra trucks to the United States.

Global Vehicles also has invoked the arbitration clause in its contract with Mahindra, and sued Mahindra in United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta Division, to protect its contractual rights. Both cases are pending.

Global Vehicles U.S.A., Inc., based in Alpharetta, Ga., is the exclusive importer and distributor in the United States of motor vehicles produced by the automotive arm of the Mahindra Group (www.mahindra.com), a $6 billion-plus diverse conglomerate.

SOURCE Global Vehicles USA, Inc

Global Vehicles - Mahindra Arbitration to Begin September 15th

India’s Business Standard is reporting that the battle which has been waged in quoted comments and press releases over the last three months between Indian SUV manufacturer, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd, and their American pickup truck importer and business partner, Global Vehicles USA, will officially begin in court on September 15th.

It’s unfortunate that things have not gotten sorted out sooner, but now it seems to be ‘on like Donkey Kong’ in Georgia District Court.  How it all affects the December launch date remains a question unanswered.

Source: Business Standard

Mahindra Truck News: Mahindra Planet

As our loyal readers know, Mahindra Planet keeps you abreast of all happenings regarding the arrival of Mahindra pickups in North America. The models tentatively known as TR20 (2-door pickup) and TR40 (4-door pickup) are due to hit US shores in late 2009 and early 2010. Plenty of people across the US are chomping at the bit to get their first test drive in the new trucks as soon as they become available.

Mahindra Planet will be switching gears as the summer progresses. Visitors to the site can expect to see a new and more user friendly layout. We hope to create more of a magazine atmosphere, but most importantly we hope to be more engaging and encourage further interaction with and between readers. Please comment and contribute to the site, all are welcome!

As we change things up a bit, we’ll try to see what works and what doesn’t. We want this site to be a place where fans of the Mahindra brand can share in their excitement and find some useful information. We want our readers to define the site and make it a cool and comfortable spot on the web.

This is an open invitation to all readers throughout the world: We would like your comments, story ideas, articles for publishing, tips, and even sketches or renderings of Mahindra related vehicles that you think are cool or other people might be interested in. Full credit will be given to all contributors; it’s your chance to populate the Mahindra Planet!

Also note that Mahindra Planet is now on Twitter. Look for @MahindraPlanet. We'll include a link from here soon.

Please comment directly to articles we’ve posted, and please feel free to contact us directly via email: Christian.Winfield@MahindraPlanet.com

Cheers,
Chris