Maroc - dailynews.co.za - Motoring - 23/Aug 13:09

Mahindra to expand its Durban-based bakkie assembly operation with larger facility

Mahindra South Africa has announced that it will soon begin construction of a new bakkie assembly facility alongside its existing site at the Dube Trade Port in Durban.The new and larger facility will cover 14,000 square metres and will increase the Indian carmaker’s local capacity to around 1,000 units.Like the existing facility it forms part of a joint venture between Mahindra and Auto Investment Holding Group.Construction is expected to be completed by June 2025, but at this stage there is no official confirmation on whether the company’s new-generation global Pik Up will be built there.Will the new Mahindra Pik Up be built in South Africa? It remains to be seen. Picture: SuppliedMahindra has however confirmed that the new bakkie - wherever it may be built - will continue to be sold alongside the existing Pik Up, which is South Africa’s second best selling single cab and fourth most popular double cab range.“South Africa’s role as our second home outside of India was emphasised last year when Mahindra unveiled its new global Pik Up concept in South Africa to a global audience,” said Rajesh Gupta, chief executive of Mahindra South Africa.“Mahindra South Africa and its assembly facility will become an important part of the global Pik Up plans, especially with the announcement that Mahindra will continue to produce the current range of bakkies alongside the new model,” says Rajesh.The current assembly facility recently produced its 20,000th unit since commencing operations in May 2018.Since then the semi-knocked down (SKD) assembly line has increased in complexity to the point where it is today described as a complete “nuts and bolts” assembly.Currently 90 staff members are employed on the assembly line and that number is set to grow when the new facility comes on stream.“The assembly facility has allowed us to not only meet the growing local demand for Pik Up models, but to also serve the needs of the South African bakkie buyer. For instance, the Pik Up Karoo Dusk, Dawn, Storm and Dew Special Edition models are made possible by the assembly plant,” Gupta added.IOL Motoring