Mahindra Navistar Recognizes the Heroes of the Indian Transport Industry

¨       Presents the first ever ‘Mahindra Navistar Transport Excellence Awards 2011’

¨       Pioneering initiative to recognize and reward outstanding contribution made to the transport sector by various stakeholders in the transport ecosystem

¨       Fleet Driver Abdul Ghani wins a brand new Mahindra Navistar MN25 Truck

¨       Overall 15 Fleet drivers emerge as winners

¨       Highway Dhabas felicitated for the first time ever

¨       Nitesh Agrawal of DARCL wins the ‘Youth Transport Personality’ Award

¨       Awards across five categories in the first edition:

o   Fleet Owners

o   Youth Transport Personality

o   Fleet Drivers

o   Commercial Vehicle Financiers

o   Highway Dhabas

o   Not-for-Profit Entities

Mumbai, December 20, 2011: Mahindra Navistar Automotives Limited (MNAL), a part of the Us $ 14.4 billion Mahindra Group, felicitated and awarded the heroes of the Indian transportation industry. At a glittering ceremony held yesterday in New Delhi, the first ever Mahindra Navistar Transport Excellence Awards 2011, were presented. These awards recognized and rewarded Outperformance, Excellence, Innovation and Change Leadership in the Transport Ecosystem – values which embodies the spirit of MNAL.

Prominent transporters from across India, dealers, and 38 winners from different walks of transport ecosystem witnessed the glorious ceremony dedicated to the Transport Industry. These winners were celebrities in their own right, unsung heroes of the Indian Transport Ecosystem. Each one of them had a different story of their own to narrate, all relating to their endeavor to achieve in excellence by, ‘Accepting No Limits’, ‘Alternative Thinking’ and ‘Driving Positive Change’, the three facets of Mahindra’s much talked about Rise initiative. 

The event was graced by Shri Praful Patel, Honorable Minister of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises, Govt. of India as the Chief Guest. In addition, Mr. S. Sundareshan, Secretary, Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises, Mr. Anand Mahindra, Chairman, Mahindra Navistar Automotives Ltd.  and Vice-Chairman & Managing Director-Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., Dr. Pawan Goenka – Director, Mahindra Navistar Automotives Ltd. and President, Automotives & Farm sector - Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd, Mr. Nalin Mehta Managing Director – Mahindra Navistar Automotives Ltd and Mr. Barun Das, CEO, Zee News Ltd were amongst those present at the awards ceremony.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Pawan Goenka, said, “Mahindra Navistar, as the challenger brand, has taken on the onus of making a difference in the lives of the trucking community. Firstly with its products and now with these awards, MNAL has connected with the transport ecosystem at an emotional level. Coupled with its service back up and a sense of customer service, MNAL will, in times to come, become one of the most respected brands of the Indian trucking industry”.

Congratulating Mahindra Navistar on undertaking this initiative of bringing laurels to the transport Industry, Shri Praful Patel spoke words of motivation in his keynote address and extended his heartiest congratulation to all the Award winners whose relentless pursuit for excellence gave them the winning edge. He said, “I urge the transporters present to adapt to current unprecedented economic changes and emerge victorious by investing in the future today.  It is very important to imbibe industry imperatives such as innovation in technology, enriching partnership and transforming workforce that defines the path to prosperity. I convey my best wishes to Mahindra Navistar for their foresight and ingenuity in collaborating with multiple stakeholders through this first ever Transport Excellence Award and wish them all success in their future endeavors”. 

Urging the second generation to seriously consider going into the family transport business, Mr. Anand Mahindra, said, “You can take the foundation your parent has built, and grow your own dreams by building on it. Because this is a new India and it needs all the entrepreneurs it can get.”

Mr. Nalin Mehta said, “We at Mahindra Navistar wished to recognize the very valuable contribution that various stakeholders in the transport ecosystem make to turn the wheels of economy. Be it the transporters, the drivers, the Dhaba owners, Financiers or the Not-for-profit organizations – they all have been the unsung heroes in the success story of the Indian economy and the contribution of the transport sector towards it. Going forward, we will continue and further strengthen the first step that we have taken in celebrating excellence in transport industry which will surely have a multiplier effect and will cross pollinate success stories.”

Some of the noteworthy winners include (list enclosed as annexure):

·        Mr. Abdul Ghani, Fleet driver, Professional Automotives Ltd., won Super Outperformer Driver of the Year 2011 and a brand New MN 25 Truck.

·        Mr. Nitesh Agarwal, DARCL Logistics Ltd won the “Youth Transport Personality of the Year 2011” Award.

·        Mr. Ravindra Singh, R K Food Point Dhaba - first time ever winner of a Dabha award through driver votes.

·        In the Fleet Owners category, InLand Road Transport Pvt. Ltd., Cargo Wings and Siddhi Vinayak Logistic Ltd. won the National Awards.

·        In the Commercial Vehicle Financiers’ category, SREI BNP Paribas, Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd. and HDFC Bank Ltd. won the National Awards.

·        In the Commercial Vehicle Financiers’ category, SREI BNP Paribas, Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd. and HDFC Bank Ltd. won the National Awards.

·        In the NGO Category, Transport Corporation of India Foundation, Lokmanya Medical Foundation and Sangli Zilla Transport Association won the National Awards.

The awards have set new standards for Indian transport sector in recognizing and rewarding the efforts of its key constituents. This will go a long way in encouraging the younger generation of entrepreneurs to look at the transport industry as an attractive proposition which gets its due recognition.

About Mahindra Navistar Automotives Ltd. (MNAL)

 In 2005, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. and International Truck and Engine Corporation - the operating company of Navistar - entered into a JV to manufacture light, medium and heavy commercial vehicles for India as well as global markets. The joint venture is in the process of addressing every segment of the commercial vehicle market from 3.5 tonne GVW to 49 tonne GCW with variants of passenger transport, cargo and specialized load applications.

The new HCV product range has been engineered to meet Indian requirements with technological expertise from Navistar with the underlying philosophy of ‘Made in India, Made for India and Made with 175 years of international trucking expertise’. The new range of medium and heavy commercial vehicles is being manufactured at a new green field plant at Chakan. The plant, which spans over 700 acres, has been set up with investments of over Rs.4000 crores and is producing other M&M products as well. This is helping MNAL leverage the benefits of synergies of an integrated manufacturing facility.  

About The Mahindra Group

The Mahindra Group focuses on enabling people to rise. Mahindra operates in the key industries that drive economic growth, enjoying a leadership position in tractors, utility vehicles, information technology and vacation ownership. Mahindra has a presence in the automotive industry, agribusiness, aerospace, components, consulting services, defence, energy, financial services, industrial equipment, logistics, real estate, retail, steel and two wheelers. 

A US $14.4 billion multinational group based in Mumbai, India, Mahindra employs more than 144,000 people in over 100 countries.

In 2011, Mahindra featured on the Forbes Global 2000 list, a listing of the biggest and most powerful listed companies in the world. Dun & Bradstreet also ranked Mahindra at No. 1 in the automobile sector in its list of India’s Top 500 Companies. In 2010, Mahindra featured in the Credit Suisse Great Brands of Tomorrow.

In 2011, Mahindra acquired a majority stake in Korea’s SsangYong Motor Company.

About Navistar

Navistar International Corporation (NYSE: NAV) is a holding company whose subsidiaries and affiliates produce International® brand commercial and military trucks, MaxxForce® brand diesel engines, IC Bus™ brand school and commercial buses, Monaco® RV brands of recreational vehicles, and Workhorse® brand chassis for motor homes and step vans. It also is a private-label designer and manufacturer of diesel engines for the pickup truck, van and SUV markets. The company also provides truck and diesel engine service parts. Another affiliate offers financing services. Additional information is available at www.Navistar.com/newsroom.

For further information, please visit www.mahindra.com

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For any corporate related information, please contact:

Ms. Roma Balwani

Senior Vice President & Group Head, Corporate Communications

Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.

Phone: +91-22-2490-1441

Fax: +91-22-2490-0830

Email: balwani.roma@mahindra.com

For any product/ sales/ marketing related queries, please contact:

Mr. Rajeev Malik

GM - Marketing 

Mahindra Navistar Automotive Ltd

Mumbai, India

Tel: +91-22-24905887

Fax: +91-22-24951702

Email: malik.rajeev@mahindranavistar.com