Indian giant Mahindra might open a second factory in Michigan, report says
The company best known in the US for its Roxor Jeep clone is looking at doubling down on US manufacturing.
Did you know that Mahindra -- the company that makes the Roxor, an adorable, pint-size Willys Jeep clone -- has a vehicle factory in Michigan? Well, it does, and its operation there has been successful enough that it is planning to open a second one, according to a report Thursday by Reuters.
In addition to the Roxor (which haunts our dreams) that Mahindra doesn't sell for use on US roads, the company makes a number of tractors, farm implements and even a couple of UTVs that are. The Mahindra facility, located in Auburn Hills, Michigan, is currently running at full capacity so the company is planning on expanding to a new facility in Flint, around 40 miles away.
"While we're keeping our options open, we think the former Buick City site in Flint would be a great fit for us," Rick Haas, chief executive officer of Mahindra Automotive North America, said in a statement. "It's close to our current facility, which improves overall enterprise efficiency."
The new Flint factory would bring an estimated 3,000 jobs to the community and would be building, among other things, new vehicles for the US Postal Service if the company manages to snag the coveted contract for the Long Life Vehicle's replacement, set to be decided on later in 2019.
Of course, there is still a chance that Mahindra could go outside of Michigan for its next facility if Michigan isn't willing to give the company sufficient incentive to stay. The company said it's currently in talks with several other states. That said, Michigan is likely no stranger to this game, and we'll be surprised if it doesn't convince the Indian manufacturer to stay.
