South Africans from all walks of life have helped Mahindra kick off its 20th anniversary in South Africa with a bang!
On 8 May, the Indian automotive and industrial powerhouse received the Adventure SUV of the Year Award at the 2024 Old Mutual Insure South African Car of the Year Competition. The Award was given to the Mahindra Scorpio-N, which competed alongside 18 other finalists in this year’s competition.
“We are truly humbled by this major award,” says Rajesh Gupta, CEO of Mahindra South Africa.
“The award signals a new era that follows two decades of investment in our South African operations, our dealer network and our vehicle range to ensure that we offer a truthful partnership of man and machine in both the SUV and LCV market.”
The Mahindra Scorpio-N was selected as one of 18 finalists from a pool of 80 qualifying vehicles across the various market segments. Every year, the SA Guild of Mobility Journalists consider every new model released in South Africa and then go on to pick a number of finalists that best represent automotive excellence.
Once selected, the finalists are put through their paces during several days of dynamic and static testing and an in-depth analysis of each model against its competitors and its performance in the overall marketplace.
The evaluation also included detailed market share statistics and customer feedback from Lightstone Auto, the official automotive industry data aggregator.
In the segment for Adventure SUVs, the SAGMJ picked the Scorpio-N against competitors with similar technical capabilities, with the Scorpio-N winning the category.
The Mahindra Scorpio-N made a second surprise appearance during the gala Car of the Year Evening, when it was announced that it won the Motor Enthusiast of the Year Award. This award was added by the SAGMJ three years ago to recognise the importance of public opinion and support. Vehicle enthusiasts are encouraged to vote for their favourite Car of the Year finalist and the final public vote decides the winner.
“Where the Adventure SUV of the Year recognises the capabilities, build quality and refinement of the Scorpio-N, the Motor Enthusiast of the Year Award represents our standing in the public and their love of our products and brand. For Mahindra, it is important that we deliver on our promise of honest and real value-for-money for each customer who has bought a Mahindra over the past two decades,” says Rajesh.
Mahindra South Africa first opened its doors in 2004. It has since expanded significantly, with a dealer network that covers all major towns, cities and even outlying areas, a vehicle assembly facility in Durban that is currently at maximum capacity and a large parts warehouse with a comprehensive daily parts delivery system.
The brand’s steady and methodical investment in its South African base – officially Mahindra’s second home outside of India – has paid increasing dividends. Mahindra had previously been recognised as a top performing brand and it has now entered the roster of large vehicle brands that have, among other things, become one of the top three single-cab vehicle brands in South Africa.
Mahindra South Africa’s increasing importance in the global Mahindra network was recognised in 2022, when the group hosted its Global Roadshow in Cape Town and launched, among other products, the first concept model of its new global bakkie and its BE range of all-electric vehicles.
“We would like to thank all customers and automotive experts for their support of Mahindra. We have shown our commitment to South Africa and the local automotive industry, and we will double our efforts in the coming years to reward our customers with truly authentic vehicles that offer incredible value for money and years of excellent service,” says Rajesh.
Mahindra South Africa will soon be launching a Mahindra “Car of the Year Special” for South African consumers, inclusive of Service offerings specifically for the Scorpio-N range inspired by the enthusiasm with which consumers voted Mahindra as the top pick for the 2024 Motor Enthusiast of the Year Award.
Further, Mahindra South Africa will be hosting experiential activities around South Africa within our Dealer Network, where consumers will have the opportunity to experience the capability of our vehicles at our well-equipped Adventure 4x4 Mahindra Academies.
Visit www.mahindraadventure.co.za for more information on the Mahindra South Africa Adventure Academies and highlights from the brand’s adventure experiences across Southern Africa.