India’s Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd has introduced its international range of utility vehicles and pick-ups for the Kenyan market. These include its award winning XUV500 SUV, the Scorpio SUV, the Genio Pick-Up and the Maxximo mini-truck.
The company has appointed Simba Corporation as the sole dealer for Mahindra vehicles in Kenya, under the trade name Xylon Motors which will offer the full range of Mahindra vehicles as well as provide complete servicing facilities, testing and an extensive after sales department supplying parts and accessories.
“We are delighted to expand our presence in Kenya which is a strategic market for us within the African continent,” said Farhat Jalal, Mahindra Motors Senior Manager for Exports
Mahindra has been the leader in India’s utility vehicles market, with over 50% percent market share and sells its products in over 25 countries on six continents, having been established over 60 years ago.
”We have great confidence in the company’s future strategy for the Kenyan market. We believe very strongly that the new product range will be a success in this market,” said Dinesh Kotecha, Director Simba Corporation, at the opening of the new Xylon showroom in Nairobi.
“The Mahindra XUV500 is a world class SUV offering an unbeatable combination of aspirational styling, advanced technology and safety features, comfort and convenience and is sure to find favour with customers in Kenya,” added Kotecha.
The Mahindra Group, which has identified Kenya as a key market for its overall plan for the African continent, has also drawn up fresh plans for introducing new vehicles in the country, while increasing the capacity of its commercial and passenger vehicles.
Simba Corp has invested close to 600 million shillings in Xylon Motors and will offer new car owners warranty, parts and after-sales service at very competitive pricing.
During the same event Mahindra launched its latest entrant in SUV market The Mahindra XUV500 (pronounced XUV Five double Oh).
The Mahindra XUV500 was launched late last year in India with a simultaneous unveiling in South Africa.
The XUV500 offers front wheel drive and all wheel drive derivatives all powered by a transversely-mounted four-cylinder, 2,2-litre mHawk turbo diesel engine which develops 103kW of power at 3 750r/min and 330N.m of torque between 1 600 – 2 800r/min. The turbo diesel offers an impressive drive-ability thanks to a flat torque curve at low RPM. This also helps in giving the XUV500 a towing capability of 750 kilos for an un-braked trailer and 2500 kilos for a braked trailer.
Transmission is a six-speed manual, with a low ratio transfer box for the all-wheel drive model. The all-wheel drive system on the W8 4×4 model has an interactive torque management system which switches seamlessly from two-to four-wheel drive.
