In 1945, after the end of World War II, a former Indian ambassador to the United States of America named John Mahindra founded a car company in the city of Bombay. Thanks to the participation of the capital of Pakistani entrepreneur Gulam Mohammed in the creation of the company, the company was named after two key players in its destiny - "Mahindra-Mohammed". However, by 1948, after the division of India and Pakistan's independence, Ghulam Mohammed left the company, heading the Ministry of Finance of the new state, and his place was taken by John's brother, Clark.
In addition, 1948 was marked by the start of work on the company's first car, which was the Mahindra compact SUV. However, due to a number of difficulties, it went into mass production only in 1965. Despite the long lull and difficulties in cooperation with Jeep, which provided the platform for the Indian company 's SUV, the car turned out to be reliable and cheap enough to gain popularity in the automotive markets of India and Pakistan. This was followed by new models produced under license from the Willys brand - Armada and Grand Aramada, equipped with diesel power units of the French brand Peugeot. But all these cars were still too unusual for local residents, and could not bring much profit. Gradually, their production stalled, and a new stage in the development of the company began only in the 1980s, when Mahindra signed new contracts for the licensed production of cars with the companies Willis and Jeep.
In 1989, a strategic agreement was concluded for the production of cars of the Japanese Mitsubishi brand, which in parallel worked with the American Chrysler, which provided Mahindra with the developments of the Voyager minivan. It was this model that served as the impetus for the next breakthrough of the Indian automobile company, which managed to enter the German automobile market, as well as become one of the largest automakers in Central Asia. Over the next 10 years, the Mahindra model range was expanded to the production of minibuses, off-road vehicles for the Indian armed forces, and sales of trucks were also started. The most popular cars of the company at that time were vans and minibuses Voyager, which were based on the outdated model of Mitsubishi - L300.
In 2002, the company's first own model was presented - the compact SUV Mahindra Scorpio, equipped with 2.1-2.6 liter power units with a capacity of up to 120 horsepower. In addition, the company enters into a number of contracts with other automakers, starting technological support for the Chinese auto industry. However, the main achievement of Mahindra can be considered an alliance with the French brand Renault, which provided the Renault-Nissan platform for free use by the Indian brand.
In 2007, the Xylo crossover model was introduced, equipped with Nissan power units, with a capacity of up to 140 horsepower. It should also be noted that the Indian company "Mahindra" started the construction of a new plant in the same year, where the production of the Mahindra Verito model was launched. This model was a redesigned Renault Logan.
Thanks to the successful cooperation with the Japanese-French concern, the Mahindra company began the construction of three more factories, where it was planned to start producing the entire Renault lineup in 2014.
In 2008, the production of a very interesting model Mahindra Xylo started. Under the hood of this crossover is a 2.5-liter 112-horsepower Turbo engine and a 5-speed gearbox. In addition, the car is equipped with ABS, park-tronic and various auxiliary functions. At the same time, together with the French company Renault, Mahindra released an updated Renault Logan with a more aggressive appearance with a two-tone body.
In 2009, Mahindra launched the XYLO sedan. The model is equipped with a 2.5-liter engine with 112 horsepower, with which it accelerates to 60 km / h in 5.9 seconds.
In 2010, Mahindra bought the manufacturer REVA, naming its new division Mahindra REVA Electric Vehicle Co. Ltd and is now updating its lineup with modern electric vehicles and electric scooters (e.g. Reva e2o, GenZe STS).
In October 2011, the company unveiled its first global SUV, the XUV500. It is manufactured according to the requirements of customers around the world, and was also the first machine to undergo intensive testing in Europe, Australia, South Africa and India.
In 2013, the Mahindra Centuro motorcycle was introduced to the Indian market with a 106.7cc air-cooled 1-cylinder 4-stroke engine producing 8.5 horsepower at 7,500 rpm. It is very economical, as it can travel up to 85 km on just 1 liter of fuel. The company did not stop there and just a few months later released an improved Mahindra Mojo 300 sports bike with a 295cc liquid-cooled engine, injector and 6-speed gearbox.
In September 2015, the Indian market got acquainted with the compact crossover from Mahindra TUV300. Under its hood is a 1.5-liter diesel engine with 80 horsepower. Buyers have the option to choose between automatic and manual transmissions. At the end of 2015, the acquisition of the renowned design company Pininfarina is planned to be completed.