The new facility will produce an off-highway vehicle—designed and engineered by MANA—which will extend Mahindra’s current position in this growing segment. Mahindra is also one of the five finalists for the major Next Generation Delivery Vehicle (NGDV) evaluation currently under way by the US Post Office. (Earlier post.) Prototypes from the five finalists are currently undergoing six months of USPS testing. At the request of the USPS, details about the program will be available at a later date.

The expansion is part of a $230-million investment in Southeast Michigan that also includes a recently-opened warehouse and logistics operation in Pontiac and an existing prototype operation in Troy. In total, Mahindra has grown to 400,000 sq. ft. across three Detroit area facilities.

Over the past 18 months, MANA will have tripled its workforce to 250. By 2020, additional planned projects will result in 400 more jobs and another $600 million in local investment over that same period. In addition, MANA will continue to provide Metro Detroit-based engineering support for new vehicle platform development for India and global markets.