Pick-up truck Imperio will create new niche segment: M&M

In a bid to strengthen its position in the small commercial segment, leading SUV maker M&M drove in its new premium pick-up truck Imperio on Wednesday. Pravin Shah, president and chief executive – automotive division, M&M, explains why he expects the vehicle to do well even in a declining small commercial vehicle market.

Q: Tell us more about the product?

A: This product is going to create a new niche segment which is not going to intrude into the Bolero Maxi truck or the Bolero Pickup or for that matter the recently-launched Supro products. So, product surely meets the varying and different needs of the customers and the customers what we expect are the small SMEs and the businessman who would prefer to have the Imperio, both single cab as well as double cab as part of their business companion.

Q: Just today, Prakash Javadekar has issued a tweet stating that the government has decided to directly leapfrog to BS-VI norms with effect from April 1, 2020. We know that a lot of original equipment manufacturer (OEM) are opposed to this given that they feel that the technology is not in place to be able to directly leapfrog to BS-VI in that short a time. What is your personal take on this issue and can you help us understand what the repercussions could be for not only Mahindra but for the larger OEM industry?