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Mahindra tried to bring a small diesel pickup truck here around 10 years ago, but apparently failed due to some legal reasons. They were in the news last year as they were apparently making another go at it. Last I read, the EPA approved them, though I don't know if it's gone anywhere since then.
I doubt they're going to have much penetration into the market though, as I recall they were planning on running a pretty small, by American standards, engine in the thing..something like 75hp. Should get pretty good MPGs, but considering most diesel truck buyers here think they NEED 1000HP for some reason...
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SVTLightning
Except the OP asked about Brands not available, not models lol
Yeah, the USA is certainly 'model' deprived. Even Canada has very restrictive models compared to 10+ yrs ago.
Whether is is the highest selling robust functional pickup in the world (Hilux)
Or Diesel Hybrids that get 80+mpg
or performance....
The USA and Canada will not be getting it. (from a foreign manf)
Many reasons, but CARB, EPA, and NTSB account for barriers that many will not be willing to climb.
Since we (USA residents) are quickly losing all options for affordable HC... we can (must) go to other countries and enjoy their vehicles and their HC.
I was able to enjoy (?) some of the early foreign options during my driving career.
Simca, Peugeot, Saab, Fiat (spyders and sport coupes), Opel, MG (We made a sweet MGB-GT full electric conversion in 1976). My mom had a sporty 1957 Karmann Ghia (which would not survive any form of current restrictions)
It's not only brands that are not available here in the US but the manufacturers here produce some really interesting cars for other markets that I wish we could also get here!
I doubt they're going to have much penetration into the market though, as I recall they were planning on running a pretty small, by American standards, engine in the thing..something like 75hp.
It's a Mahindra Thar, renamed Roxor. It's almost an exact copy of either a Willys or CJ-2/3 Jeep. Mahindra has a license to produce them.
They are being built in metro Detroit (Auburn Hills).
Sold as a UHV with a 2.5L, 62 hp diesel.
Cause it's a UHV, it has different crash and emissions testing. And it's not street legal in most the country.
Peugeot/Citroen were sold in the US in the 1960s and 70s. Actually, Peugeot was a leader in diesel powered cars in the US in the 1970s.
"a leader" ... not hardly.
MB had long sold many more diesel cars than Peugeot in the USA, along with VW diesel sales numbers dwarfing Peugeot's. Few diesel Peugots survive today from that era while many MB and VW diesels are still going strong and are sought-after cars for diesel enthusiasts today.
While I liked the ride/handling of the Peugeot cars better than the 'benz's ... Peugeot reliability and durability wasn't anywhere near the level of the german cars. Other than the XD2 motor having easier starting characteristics in cold weather and better fuel economy than the 'benz ... overall, the 504's were a very poor competitor. The later 505 turbodiesel, nicer as it was ... simply couldn't justify it's price against an MB. Most of the new 505's sold in my area were dumped by the first owners within a year or two of ownership ... I was buying these low mileage cars in distress deals, usually with a blown head gasket and other running problems ... for less than $2,000.
And the XD2 engine mechanicals simply didn't deliver the long term durability of the 'benz competition ... 100,000-150,000 miles and they were worn out. Typically went through a head gasket or two to reach that mileage, too, if not needing a valve job to maintain compression during that life cycle. At least they had easily replaceable cylinder sleeves, but I saw a lot of worn out camshafts/followers in that mileage, too. Other chassis problems ranged from electrical items to window regulators to all their plastic parts ... we had more than a few diesel Peugeots where the engine shut-down servo repeatedly failed and we installed an underdash manual pull cable to operate the shut-down lever on the fuel injection pump. It didn't help that Peugeot used a couple different injection pumps/injectors on their production runs ... we saw Bosch and CAV stuff used interchangeably. The timing wear was significant enough that I had to use a "tach 'n time" tool to check the injection timing on these engines at 20-30,000 mile intervals usually because the timing was late and delivering low power/poor starting/less fuel economy. Usually corrected with minor adjustment to the injection pump by advancing the pump to bring the timing back up to spec.
By way of comparison, I rarely saw a diesel 'benz that had timing out of spec, even with 200,000+ miles on the engine. Similarly, I rarely saw a VW diesel with pump timing that was out of spec, even when timing belts were replaced and we'd put the dial indicator on the back of the injection pump to verify all was OK. The "tach 'n time" was a quicker and easier way to do this, however.
PS: a big issue with the Peugeot cars in my region of the country was that the heater/defroster output was pathetically undersized for cold weather operation. I was reminded of the heater performance of my '61 MGA Coupe ... which was wholly inadequate in freezing temps. Of course, we get far lower temps than that in the Rocky Mountain West and up in the mountains.
PPS: I had one of the very few Peugeot 504D wagons in the USA. A euro 1982 model, brought back by a USA diplomat upon his return from Greece. With that lovely wood interior and the supple rear suspension, it was a pleasure to drive ... a sunroof equipped car. But no A/C, a leaky shift shaft seal on the manual transmission, the "key start" shut down solenoid failure, intermittent wiper control relay failure, failed CAV injection pump (replaced with a Bosch spare unit I had laying around the shop), and the aforementioned inadequate heater relegated this car to a coastal moderate climate zone. The car went to the coast, Seattle ... and was sold there. Best claim to fame for it was a comfortable ride, good seats, and 36-38 mpg on the road at highway speeds. Bought the car for $500 and was happy to see it gone for quite a bit more than that to a Peugeot enthusiast who couldn't live without having that gorgeous woodwork interior.
This series of Peugeot was far outstripped in sales by the MB300TDt wagons ... which offered better performance with the turbo'ed 3-liter diesel, an adequate climate control system (A/C & heater), and much more reliable/durable electrical system, although fuel economy was significantly lower in the 'benz.
It's a Mahindra Thar, renamed Roxor. It's almost an exact copy of either a Willys or CJ-2/3 Jeep. Mahindra has a license to produce them.
They are being built in metro Detroit (Auburn Hills).
Sold as a UHV with a 2.5L, 62 hp diesel.
Cause it's a UHV, it has different crash and emissions testing. And it's not street legal in most the country.
What is a UHV? Unmanned Hybrid Vehicle is the closest term I can find.
I am ass/u/ming you mean it's only for use off public roads, but that term doesn't come up. OHV, UTV, LUV... yes.
I assume they are only sold to/good for farm, mine and oilfield use?
It's a Mahindra Thar, renamed Roxor. It's almost an exact copy of either a Willys or CJ-2/3 Jeep. Mahindra has a license to produce them.
They are being built in metro Detroit (Auburn Hills).
Sold as a UHV with a 2.5L, 62 hp diesel.
Cause it's a UHV, it has different crash and emissions testing. And it's not street legal in most the country.
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