Cairo: Mahindra & Mahindra, India’s leading automotive brand with a growing global presence, today announced the launch of the Mahindra Scorpio SUV in Egypt in partnership with the Bavarian Auto Group. The Mahindra Scorpio is currently being exported to Europe, Africa, Asia, Middle East, South America and Australia.

'This launch is a significant milestone for Mahindra as it not only expands our footprint in Africa but also marks the first time the Scorpio is being assembled from CKD kits outside India. With its unique combination of rugged utility and style, the Scorpio has carved a distinct niche for itself in markets across the globe and we a

re confident that it will createits own space in theEgyptmarket,' said Dr. Pawan Goenka, President, Automotive Sector, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.

Speaking at the launch, Mr. Pravin Shah, Executive Vice President, International Operations, said 'At Mahindra, we have always been at the cutting-edge of technology, whether it is the All New Scorpio, the Bio-Diesel Scorpio or our most recent innovation, the Hybrid Scorpio. In Africa, the Scorpio is being used extensively in over 25 countries and I am sure that customers in Egypt would also be delighted with the Scorpio experience. Moreover, our Egyptian partners, the Bavarian Auto Group have extensive expertise in assembly and distribution of world class automobiles and will help us consolidate our presence in the region,'

Elaborating on the Bavarian Auto Group’s association with M&M to launch the Scorpio in Egypt, Mr. Farid El Tobgui, Chairman, Bavarian Auto Group said, 'Launching the Scorpio in the Egypt market is in tune with our objective of offering the customer world-class vehicles. We believe that the Scorpio offers a strong value proposition that will make it a preferred vehicle in this market.'

Since its launch , the Scorpio has not only emerged as the leader in the UV (Utility Vehicle) segment in India but has also won widespread industry acclaim. It was recently declared an ‘Olympic Brand’, i.e., a brand that is 'well known, well loved and has a large core following.' It has also won several prestigious awards from the automotive media, including the CNBC Autocar Car of the Year Award, BBC Wheels Best SUV of the Year and Best Car of the Year awards and the BS Motoring Car of the Year Award.

The Scorpio is esentially a car that customers have designed. M&M collected customer insights very rigorously, through product clinics, focus groups, in depth QFD interviews and feed back. Its state-of-the-art external and internal features are constantly upgraded on the template of changing customer needs.

Mahindra & Mahindra has been growing in stature as an international automotive major. It has assembly facilities in various parts of the globe and exports its global range of vehicles – the Scorpio (known as Goa in Europe), the Bolero and its variants - to Europe, the Far East and Africa. Over the past year, the Scorpio has been successfully launched in markets including Morocco, Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria and Sudan. As part of its growing global spread, India’s most loved SUV is poised to take on the most challenging market, the USA, in 2009.

About The Mahindra Group

The US $6 billion Mahindra Group is among the top 10 industrial houses in India. Mahindra & Mahindra is the only Indian company among the top tractor brands in the world. Mahindra’s Farm Equipment Sector has recently won the Japan Quality Medal, the only tractor company worldwide to be bestowed this honour. It also holds the distinction of being the only tractor company worldwide to win the Deming Prize. Mahindra is the market leader in multi-utility vehicles in India. It made a milestone entry into the passenger car segment with the Logan.

The Group has a leading presence in key sectors of the Indian economy, including the financial services, trade and logistics, automotive components, information technology, and infrastructure development.

With over 62 years of manufacturing experience, the Mahindra Group has built a strong base in technology, engineering, marketing and distribution which are key to its evolution as a customer-centric organization. The Group employs over 50,000 people and has several state-of-the-art facilities in India and overseas.

The Mahindra Group has ambitious global aspirations and has a presence on five continents. Mahindra products are today available on every continent except Antarctica. M&M has one tractor manufacturing plant in China, three assembly plants in the United States and one at Brisbane, Australia. It has made strategic acquisitions across the globe including Stokes Forgings (UK), Jeco Holding AG (Germany) and Schoneweiss & Co GmbH (Germany). Its global subsidiaries include Mahindra Europe Srl. based in Italy, Mahindra USA Inc. and Mahindra South Africa.

M&M has entered into partnerships with international companies like Renault SA, France, and International Truck and Engine Corporation, USA. Forbes has ranked the

Mahindra Group in its Top 200 list of the World’s Most Reputable Companies and in the Top 10 list of Most Reputable Indian companies. Mahindra has recently been honoured with the Bombay Chamber Good Corporate Citizen Award for 2006-07.

About The Bavarian Auto Group

The Bavarian Group is the sole importer and assembler of the BMW Group with exclusive rights for assembly, import and distribution of BMW make in Egypt. In 2004 Bavarian Auto created a state-of-the-art plant spanning an area of 39,000 Sq.m. with 120 work stations for a capacity of 8,000 units per shift. The newest generation of BMW 3 Series, 5 Series and Brilliance and recently Mahindra Scorpio are being assembled in the plant.