Industrialist Anand Mahindra has set the record straight on the vehicles he owns. His clarification came after a “fake” and “fabricated” story suggested he owned several foreign luxury cars. Mr Mahindra, a vocal advocate for “Make in India,” said he only owned Mahindra & Mahindra vehicles, currently driving a Scorpio N.
The controversy began when an X user shared a post questioning why the Mahindra chairperson drove foreign-made vehicles instead of the ones made here. The post included a screenshot of an online article claiming Mahindra owned luxury cars such as Ferrari California T, Porsche 911, and Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG.
Given Mr. Anand Mahindra’s strong advocacy for “Made in India,” why does he opt to drive BMW and Mercedes cars instead of a Mahindra Thar, which is built by his own company? @anandmahindra pic.twitter.com/aHl299W1DI
— Rattan Dhillon (@ShivrattanDhil1) September 1, 2024
In response, Mahindra said, “I was taught how to drive by my mother in her light sky-blue Premier car, which she nicknamed ‘BlueBird.’ Since joining Mahindra in 1991, I have exclusively driven vehicles made by our company.”
Also Read: “Kitne Scorpio The”: Anand Mahindra’s Witty Exchange Goes Viral
He drives a red Mahindra Scorpio N, a model built by his own company, and occasionally uses his wife’s silver Mahindra XUV 700, the Mahindra & Mahindra chairperson said.
Hormazd, you have covered Mahindra since the time I joined the company. So you are in a unique position to call out this fabricated and fake story. Thank you.
And for the record:
I was taught how to drive by my mother, in her light sky-blue colour Premier car (earlier known as… https://t.co/BXFr3hfYVU
— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) September 2, 2024
The 69-year-old also addressed the photo showing him in front of a foreign car. He clarified that the photo was taken at the Monterey Car Week during the launch of Mahindra’s Battista electric hypercar. The car in the photo, a classic Cisitalia, was designed by Pininfarina, a company owned by Mahindra.
Hormazd Sorabjee, editor of Autocar India, also defended Mahindra, confirming that he had only driven Mahindra vehicles for the past three decades. “It’s not just made-in-India, it’s made-in-Mahindra for Anand Mahindra who has owned & driven ONLY a Mahindra for the last 30+ years. He is absolutely true to his brand,” Mr Sorabjee tweeted.
It’s not just made-in-India, it’s made-in-Mahindra for Anand Mahindra who has owned & driven ONLY a Mahindra for the last 30+ yrs. He is absolutely true to his brand. I remember his black Armada, & now his daily driver is a red Scorpio. Wonder who makes this rubbish up?!
— Hormazd Sorabjee (@hormazdsorabjee) September 1, 2024
Anand Mahindra also shared the list of every car he has owned and driven, starting from his mother’s light sky-blue Premier car (earlier known as Fiat). He then drove a soft-top Mahindra CJ3 UV, followed by a Hindustan Motors Contessa after joining Mahindra & Mahindra.
When the hard-top Armada was produced, he switched to it, and over the years, he has owned and used a Bolero, Scorpio Classic, XUV 5OO, and currently drives a Red Scorpio N. Since the Armada, he has never owned or used any car of another brand, he stated.