Mahindra Joins International Automotive Trade Association

India's largest utility vehicle manufacturer entering U.S. market

ARLINGTON, Va., Feb. 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Association of International Automobile Manufacturers, Inc. (AIAM) welcome's the 15th vehicle manufacturer to the trade association, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.—Automotive Sector.

"Many Americans know Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd as a major industrial force in India, but few are aware of the company's heritage building light trucks and commercial vehicles," said Michael J. Stanton, President and CEO of AIAM.  "With Mahindra bringing a range of clean diesel powered pickups and SUVs to the American market later this year, we welcome them to our membership of companies who have demonstrated a commitment to safety, fuel efficiency, environmental stewardship and investing in America."

"We view membership in AIAM as an important step moving toward our entry in the American market later this year.  With so much happening in Washington and 50 state capitals regarding light vehicle regulations for safety, emissions, and other issues, we believe AIAM can help us keep track of what's happening in this ever changing dynamic industry," said Pravin Shah, Executive Vice President—International Operations, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.

About AIAM – The Association of International Automobile Manufacturers, Inc. (AIAM) is a trade association representing 15 international motor vehicle manufacturers who account for 40 percent of all passenger cars and light trucks sold annually in the United States. AIAM provides members with information, analysis and advocacy on a wide variety of legislative and regulatory issues impacting the auto sector. The Association is dedicated to the promotion of free trade and to policies that enhance motor vehicle safety and the protection of the environment. Member companies include Aston Martin, Ferrari, Honda, Hyundai, Isuzu, Kia, Mahindra, Maserati, McLaren Automotive, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Peugeot, Subaru, Suzuki and Toyota.  For more information, visit our website at www.aiam.org.

About Mahindra Group – Mahindra Group is among the top 10 industrial houses in India with a turnover of US $6.7 billion. Mahindra is the market leader in multi-utility vehicles in India. Mahindra & Mahindra is the only Indian company among the top tractor brands in the world. The Group has a leading presence in key sectors of the Indian economy, including the financial services, trade, retail and logistics, automotive components, after-market, information technology and infrastructure development. Mahindra's Farm Equipment Sector is the proud recipient of the Japan Quality Medal, the only tractor company worldwide to be bestowed this honor. It also holds the distinction of being the only tractor company worldwide to win the Deming Prize. The US based Reputation Institute recently ranked Mahindra among the top 10 Indian companies in its Global 200: The World's Best Corporate Reputations list.  Mahindra is also one of the few Indian companies to receive an A+ GRI checked rating for its first Sustainability Report for the year 2007-08.

Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd (M&M), the flagship company of the Group, was set up as a franchise in India for assembling the Willys general purpose utility vehicles from USA.  M&M is comprised of an automotive sector and a farm equipment sector. The automotive sector is India's leading automobile manufacturer with its own design and engineering capabilities right from styling, to rapid prototyping to testing validating and production. It has a wide range of products in its portfolio and straddles the complete automotive spectrum from small 3 wheelers to large trucks catering to a diverse customer base including defense. In the utility vehicle segment it has many successful models like the Scorpio, the Bolero and the recently launched Xylo in its product portfolio. It also dominates the market with an impressive market share in the pickup segment. The company has 6 manufacturing plants in India and all the plants are TS 16949 & ISO 14001 certified. Mahindra now sells its products in more than 25 countries on six continents.

Website: www.mahindra.com

SOURCE Association of International Automobile Manufacturers