Mahindra heads west

AUSTRALIAN Mahindra distributor TMI Pacific has announced it will expand its dealer network beyond the eastern seaboard to South Australia within the next three months, before opening Mahindra Pik-Up outlets in Western Australia.

"Having developed 24 dealer sites that are servicing the NSW, Victorian and Queensland markets successfully, we felt that it was time to begin our penetration into the South Australian market," said TMI Pacific chief operating officer Claire Tynan.

"With some unpredictable economic times ahead, and many rural areas having suffered droughts, particularly in South Australia, a workhorse such as the Mahindra Pik-Up may very well be the answer for buyers looking for a real value for money proposition," she said.

TMIP says it will hold an open day in SA soon and plans to be on sale there from the final quarter of 2008. Interested retailers should contact TMIP dealer development manager Brett Pemberton on (02) 8545 8380 or via e-mail at enquiry@tmipacific.com.au.

In other Mahindra news, a survey conducted by TMIP has found that 10 per cent of trades people named the ute as their best mate on the job.

Asked why, 28 per cent said that besides being a work vehicle it allowed them to carry their sports gear at the weekend, 25 per cent said it became their family vehicle after hours and 13.5 per cent said it was because their ute "made them feel like a real tradie".