Mahindra is aiming to be one of Australia’s top 15 best-selling brands by the end of the decade as it moves from its traditional workhorse utes to mainstream SUVs – including electric vehicles (EVs).
Speaking at the launch of the 2025 Mahindra 3XO SUV – Australia’s cheapest SUV – Mahindra head of international operations Sachin Arolkar told media the industrial giant has serious ambitions here.
“We have set an ambitious goal … we want to be a top 15 player by 2030,” Mr Arolkar said.
“Clearly Australia is one of the biggest ute and SUV markets, and Mahindra as a brand is very strong in the ute segment and the SUV segment.”
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Above: Mahindra BE 6e
While it doesn’t report its sales figures to VFACTS like most new vehicle brands in Australia, Mahindra said it sold 4280 vehicles here last year.
The result puts Mahindra ahead of Mini (3982) and behind Chevrolet (4303) to sit 32nd for the 2024 calendar year.
The final brand in the top 15 in 2024 was Mercedes-Benz with 24,831 sales, meaning Mahindra is looking for a six-fold increase in its sales over the next five years.
The 2025 XUV 3XO is the first Mahindra to enter the small SUV segment in Australia, which made up almost one-fifth of all new-vehicle sales in 2024.
The XUV 3XO (above) joins a lineup of only three models with the Scorpio and XUV 700 large SUVs the only other offerings in local Mahindra showrooms, with no new shipments of the S11 Pik-Up planned as it no longer meets safety standards.
The automaker has said it’s working towards the new 2026 protocols being introduced by safety authority ANCAP for all models, including the next-generation Pik-Up and yet-to-be-rated XUV 3XO.
Mr Arolkar expects the 3XO to become the brand’s best-selling model until new products – including the all-new Pik-Up in 2026 – arrive in Australia.
The company plans to add at least one product to Australian showrooms every year as it chases its top 15 goal.
Above: Mahindra Vision Thar.e concept
Its global rebirth has seen it reveal two battery-electric SUVs, the XEV 9e and the BE 6e, in late 2024. Both are on Mahindra Australia’s wish-list, although neither are confirmed for local sale.
There’s also a next-generation version of its Jeep Wrangler-aping Thar SUV – the current generation of which landed Mahindra in court – locked in for Australia, but this is still several years away with exact timing to be confirmed.
As the brand enters more segments, Mr Arolkar said the further growth will also come from adding to its dealer count, which is currently around 70 across Australia.
“We plan to have 10 more, 80-plus dealers including service [centres], and that growth is mainly in metro areas,” Mr Arolkar told CarExpert.
“If you look at our journey in this market, which spans over 20 years, it has been very different compared to the other emerging brands.
“We started as a distributor of tractors, and you know the challenges which come with that when you have to prove your product service after sales in the rural outback, which is very important.”
“We have proved, over a period of 20 years, that we have survived the Australian outback, which is one of the more challenging domains.
“Now, with the newer, sophisticated, New Age products coming in, we are taking our experience from the regional areas, now getting into the metros, and that’s what differentiates our brand compared to the other emerging brands.”
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