New R&D Centre from Mahindra 2 Wheelers

In a bid to reach the top of the ladder in the competition among the two wheeler manufacturers, every company is taking some or the other step, be it launch or upgradation or anything else. Bajaj Auto, Hero MotoCorp, Honda Motorcycles & Scooters India, TVS, etc. have been ramping the news recently. So how could have Mahindra two wheelers stayed behind. So here’s Mahindra opening up a new research and development centre in Pune. The inauguration was held yesterday with quite some show. This new R&D centre is the third largest of all two wheeler R&D facilities present in India. During the inauguration, Mahindra 2 Wheelers also talked of what it has in store for two wheelers along with announcing what developments would take place at this research and development centre.

The first model launch coming our way is Mahindra Rodeo RZ 125cc, a scooter, which will be first launched in south India in around next three weeks. Next to come are three new motorcycles from Mahindra, which probably will take them at least 12 months to launch. The first to come will be Mahindra Stallio; as per what the company has to say, Mahindra Stallio will be another smile factor this festive season. The company says, it will launch Stallio before festive season. Speculations are for Diwali! Mahindra Mojo will see light somewhere around the first quarter of next year, that is, January to March 2013. However, the third bike still remains a mystery.

The new R&D centre will have a centre for developing engines and then testing them, a design studio, Computer Aided Engineering/Computational Fluid Dynamics facilities. It has been quite long now that Mahindra 2 Wheelers has stayed out of the limelight; to stay in the competition, high time that Mahindra comes back to focus. And with these steps of new R&D centre and new launches coming up, seems Mahindra 2 Wheelers have a realization of this. It is not just new launches that the company is talking of, they are now gliding with new technologies that can build a better future for them. The Chairman and Managing Director of Mahindra 2 Wheelers, who was present at the event, along with Anoop Mathur, said that the company’s aim is to reach a level of Rs. 20,000 revenue by the year 2020.

They already have recruited around 200 engineers, and have files around 12 patents. Mr. Anand reveals that the engines of 110 cc and 300 cc displacement are almost prepared, as per the leaked info, one of these could be the engine of Mahindra Mojo and the other of Mahindra Stallio. Out of the products, what is most awaited is Duro. The company is developing Duro micro-hybrid, a two wheeler which can claim the highest fuel efficiency, much more higher than the other scooters on Indian roads. Also, Duro micro-hybrid will be the first scooter with Micro Hybrid Technology. With already having invested Rs. 100 crore, the company is yet ready to and has fix plans to invest another Rs. 500 crore in the coming 5 years.