Mahindra and Ford to collaborate on shared powertrains, connected car tech
Automobile manufacturers Mahindra Group and Ford have announced that they will develop and share powertrains as well jointly develop connected car solutions. As part of the agreement, Mahindra will develop a new low-displacement petrol engine that will meet the upcoming Bharat Stage VI (BS VI) emission norms in India. It will provide Ford with this engine, to strengthen the latter's petrol portfolio in the current and future products. This new powertrain supply will begin in 2020. Ford uses two displacements of its Ti-VCT Dragon petrol engine to power its current lineup.
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. Once developed, the connected vehicle solution will be deployed across both Mahindra and Ford vehicles.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Pawan Goenka, MD, Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd said, "Today's announcement further builds on commitments made so far, leading to a fruition of exciting new opportunities. We are confident to meet customer expectations by working together on a number of joint development areas. Going forward we will continue to identify the synergies that exist between the two companies."
Both companies continue to make progress on the remaining MoUs signed earlier this year. This includes leveraging their respective strengths on product development for India and emerging markets, including co-development of compact SUVs and electric vehicles.
Earlier this year, they had announced they will co-develop a mid-sized SUV based on a Mahindra platform. This car will be sold independently by both companies under separate brands. At the time, they had signed five MoUs in which they have also agreed to evaluate co-development of a compact SUV and an electric vehicle.
Over the three-year period of the deal, the companies will also explore opportunities to extend support to Mahindra in global emerging markets, including Ford's manufacturing and distribution network and collaborate to address future mobility needs.
These non-binding MoUs mark the strengthening of ties between both companies since first forming an alliance in September 2017 to address global challenges in the auto industry.