The United States Postal Service has selected Mahindra to design and deliver a prototype of the Next Generation Delivery Vehicle. Mahindra’s engineers now have about 1 year to design, build and deliver the prototype vehicles for testing.
In a statement released by Mahindra, the company reported the following:
Mahindra’s engineering and design proposal was led by their Southeast Michigan-based Mahindra North American Technical Center (MNATC). Headquartered in Troy, Michigan, MNATC has leveraged the significant pool of automotive engineering talent that thrives in the Detroit area to create innovative vehicle designs for the U.S. market. MNATC’s team submitted a proposal emphasizing safety, ergonomics and fuel economy all within a ground-up approach to vehicle integration.
Mahindra has a long history (70 years) of building right-hand drive commercial vehicles with a capacity for handling rugged conditions. Since 1949, when Mahindra started manufacturing the post war Willys Overland Jeep, Mahindra has centered their philosophy of vehicle engineering and design around durability and toughness—two requisite characteristics for the rigorous all-day, all-weather use involved in mail delivery.
“The USPS is looking for a modern, safe and efficient vehicle to meet their daily delivery and operational needs,” said Rick Haas, President and COO, MNATC in Troy, Michigan. “Our team has significant global experience engineering some of the best trucks ever produced. We’ve spent thousands of hours ensuring this proposal will optimize driver and pedestrian safety and provide the USPS with a modern and reliable vehicle architecture that can easily adapt to a broad variety of future scenarios.”
Anand Mahindra, Chairman, Mahindra Group, said, “We are excited to be part of the USPS NGDV prototype program. The USPS has recognized Mahindra’s engineering proposal and selected us for vehicle development and prototype delivery. This is a strategic development in Mahindra’s ambition to become a global mobility player.”
Mahindra is one of six companies invited to design prototypes. The USPS said:
Half of the prototypes will feature hybrid and new technologies, including alternative fuel capabilities. The prototypes will represent a variety of vehicle sizes and drive configurations, in addition to advanced powertrains and a range of hybrid technologies.
The Postal Service then plans to test the vehicles during a period of approximately six months in a range of different climates, topography, population centers and delivery environments. The tests will help demonstrate the ability of the proposed designs to meet our operational needs, including the need to deliver to mailboxes across the United States.
As the project moves forward we’ll share updates. In the meantime, go team Mahindra!
