Filed under: Budget, Truck, India, Diesel

Plagued by a series of setbacks, delays, and that little thing called “the chicken tax,” Mahindra has yet to receive EPA Tier 2 Bin 5 federal emissions certification for its TR20 and TR40 pickups. But man, they must be getting really close. Right?

John Perez, CEO of Global Vehicles USA, Mahindra’s exclusive U.S. distributor, says that all the emissions testing on the trucks has been completed and the paperwork is being submitted to the EPA for final approval. Approval itself is expected to take about 30 days. At that point, Global Vehicles could begin importing the trucks to the United States. They’d arrive on our shores 30 to 60 days later.

By our math, that sounds like we could have Mahindra pickup trucks on U.S. roads before the end of August, but neither Perez nor Mahindra’s corporate offices are talking sale dates yet. Experience has probably taught them not to make predictions, but with 330 dealers signed up and raring to go, we’re sure that official sales date can’t come soon enough for any of the parties involved.

When they eventually go on sale, Mahindra pickups will be offered in two configurations: a two-door regular cab, the TR20, and a four-door crew cab, the TR40. Both will offer Mahindra’s slightly modified version of the mHawk 2.2-liter inline-four-cylinder diesel engine. Official EPA numbers obviously haven’t been determined yet, but the trucks are expected to have fuel economy ratings around 30 miles per gallon on the highway. Not too shabby considering their 1.3-ton hauling capability. Pricing is expected to start around $22,000.

[Source: Automotive News via PickupTrucks.com]

Report: Mahindra pickups could hit U.S. in under 90 days originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 08 May 2010 18:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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