Mahindra Group and Ford today signed an agreement under which Mahindra will supply BSVI compliant petrol engines to Ford. Besides this, the two companies will also work on connected vehicle solutions that will be used for both Mahindra and Ford vehicles. Building on their intent to co-develop a suite of connected car solutions, Mahindra and Ford also announced joint development of a telematics control unit. The two companies first announced their strategic alliance in September 2017, and followed up with five Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) in March 2018.
Mahindra and Ford are making progress on the remaining MoUs signed earlier this year. These include product development for India and emerging markets, including co-development of compact SUVs and electric vehicles.
Currently, Ford’s small capacity engines include a 1.2-litre, 1.5-litre petrol, and a 1.0-litre turbo petrol EcoBoost engine. With this MoU signed between the two companies, Mahindra’s BS-VI petrol engines will be added to Ford’s lineup. Besides this, Ford is also expected to update its Dragon series of engines to BS-VI compliance.
Three new SUVs and an electric version of the Ford Aspire are expected to come out of this joint venture between Mahindra and Ford. Ford’s global reach and technology along with Mahindra’s scale in India should point the two companies towards a successful operating business model. Additionally, both companies have also announced that they are working on a new telematics unit that will be part of future Ford and Mahindra vehicles.
Today’s announcement further builds on commitments made so far, leading to a fruition of exciting new opportunities. Mahindra is confident to meet customer expectations by working together with Ford on a number of joint development areas,” Dr Pawan Goenka, Managing Director, Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd. said.
Ford is pleased with the progress the two teams have made since the strategic alliance with Mahindra Group was announced a year ago, Jim Farley, Ford executive vice president and president of Global Markets, said. The collaboration in powertrain and connected car solutions, Ford and Mahindra will deliver an affordable portfolio and enable Indian consumers to get behind the wheel, feeling more confident and connected, he added.
