Anand Mahindra is known for his sense of humour on social media, and a recent exchange on X showed it off once again. What began as a post about Mahindra electric vehicles in Bhutan ended with the Mahindra Group chairman asking a fan to “extend my warranty.”
On October 14, Mahindra shared a video showing a fleet of electric vehicles that the Indian government had handed over to Bhutan's government. Spotting his company's cars, he wrote, “Well, those cars look familiar!”
He thanked Bhutan's Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay for his “excellent judgment in selecting our automobiles,” adding that he was honoured to see the EVs giving “an extra ‘charge' to the bonds between Bhutan & India.”
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The V8 Criticism
Not everyone was impressed. X user Nitin Meshram, who comments on local and global affairs and internet trend replied that Mahindra had been making cars for 70 years but had yet to build a V6 or V8 engine or a plug-in hybrid, and had not invented anything that was an industry first.
Mahindra responded the next day, pointing out that the company had unveiled India's first diesel-electric hybrid passenger vehicle, built on the Scorpio, at the Delhi Auto Expo in 2006. He said it was never commercialised because “the market simply wasn't ready.”
On V6 and V8 engines, he wrote that building them “was never rocket science.” The real question, he said, was whether India needed more gas-guzzlers, and the company decided it didn't. “Sometimes innovation is about what you choose not to build,” he added, ending with some advice: “Look before you leap. Pause before you punch.”
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‘A 20-Year Expiry Date'
The conversation took another turn when user Pranesh Naidu, calling himself a longtime fan, wrote that Mahindra was “probably going to be dead in 20 years.” He urged him to build a V8 or V10 engine before then, imagining a Scorpio with a 500-horsepower V8.
Mahindra took it in his stride. “Pranesh, I'm flattered that you're a fan. But I'm a little shaken by the confidence with which you've handed me a 20-year expiry date!” he replied.
“I know that would be a respectable innings, but I was hoping to stick around on the planet just a wee bit longer. So before we discuss V8 engines, could I persuade you to extend my warranty?” he wrote.
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