India-based Mahindra opens Detroit HQ, wants to sell EVs in U.S.

The company, which opened a new North American headquarters north of Detroit on Monday, is considering when to begin U.S. sales of the vehicles, Anand Mahindra said in an interview. Mahindra's managing director described a similar ambition earlier this month.

Mahindra is weighing whether the vehicles should carry its own brand or those of its affiliates Pininfarina, the famed Italian design house; and Ssangyong, a Korean manufacturer of utility and crossover vehicles, he added.Mahindra & Mahindra bought Ssangyong in 2011 and Pininfarina in 2015. The Indian parent is collaborating with both companies on developing electric vehicles, including premium models for Pininfarina that likely would compete with Tesla.

Earlier this year, Autocar India reported that Pininfarina was developing a family of electric vehicles for China's Hybrid Kinetic Group that includes the elegant H600 hybrid sedan, as well as its own electric supercar, the H2 Speed Concept. It's also working on a supercar with Emerson Fittipaldi.

The magazine also reported that Ssangyong planned to launch an all-electric crossover vehicle in Korea in 2019.
Anand Mahindra suggested that Ssangyong and Pininfarina electric vehicles might be sold in both the United States and China.

In early November, Ssangyong said it had received approval to begin testing of autonomous vehicles in Korea, but did not say when it planned to produce them.

Anand Mahindra said his company, one of the world's largest tractor manufacturers, had been testing self-driving models since it bought a minority stake in Japan's Mitsubishi Agriculture Machinery in 2015. Mahindra & Mahindra operates several U.S. tractor assembly plants.

While work on the self-driving vehicles is still in the early stages, Mahindra & Mahindra has been building electric vehicles in India since the mid-1990s, when it developed a small fleet of battery-powered, three-wheeled rickshaws for use in Delhi, the chairman said.

Mahindra & Mahindra bought Reva Electric Car Co, a small Bangalore-based manufacturer, in 2010 and transformed it into Mahindra Electric Mobility Ltd, which designs and builds compact electric vehicles for the Indian market.

In mid-September, the company renewed ties with Ford through a new alliance that envisions sharing of technology, product development and parts sourcing, especially on electric vehicles.

The companies had a short-lived joint venture, Mahindra Ford India Ltd, established in 1995. Ford took control of the venture in 1998 and renamed it Ford India.