The cheap car brand to watch in 2025: Move over Chery, Suzuki and GWM, Mahindra is about to take off in Australia with a new Mazda CX-3 and Toyota HiLux rival on the horizon

There’s been a lot of noise recently about the influx of Chinese car brands coming to Australia.

There’s been less of a focus on India, largely because, for now, there are far fewer Indian automotive manufacturers, particularly ones that operate internationally.

One brand has been quietly toiling away for nearly 18 years now, and it could be about to step into the limelight.

Indian giant Mahindra landed in Australia in 2007 through a private distributor before shifting to a factory-backed operation in 2011. In that time it has offered utilitarian models like the PikUp and Genio utes, and while you’d be hard pressed to find too many of them on city streets, there are plenty in rural and remote areas of Australia.

Following the forgettable XUV500 family SUV that was discontinued in 2022, Mahindra shifted up a gear in 2023 with the arrival of the off-road focussed Scorpio SUV, followed by the more refined XUV700 medium SUV.

The Scorpio was hampered by its shocking zero-star ANCAP crash safety rating, but has remained popular with off-roading enthusiasts.

The XUV700 on the other hand has helped boost the profile of Mahindra in Australia. It is a genuinely solid budget-focussed offering in the competitive medium-SUV segment.

Unfortunately Mahindra does not report its sales data through the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) and the company was not forthcoming with its latest sales figures.

However, anecdotally, there are a lot of XUV700s on the roads, and you'll spot a few Scorpios and PikUps as well.

It’s unlikely that Mahindra’s Australian sales would be anywhere near Chinese rivals like Chery or GWM, or even Korean rival SsangYong, but you can expect to see a lot more Mahindra badges in the supermarket carpark in the coming year.

Mahindra is keeping mum on its plans for 2025, but there are two models that should hit Australian shores by the year’s end.

The first new arrival is expected to be the smallest model in its line-up - the 3XO SUV. This model is a small crossover that will give Mahindra a competitor in the fiercely competitive compact SUV segment for the first time.

Powered in India by either a 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, or a 1.5-litre turbocharged diesel engine, the 3XO is likely to face competition from light SUVs including the Mazda CX-3, Hyundai Venue and Kia Stonic.

Once again, Mahindra is yet to officially confirm this model, but it is almost a certainty for Australia.

The other possibility for 2025 (although it could push into 2026) is the replacement for the ageing PikUp ute. Previewed by the Global PikUp concept from 2023, the new ute will be underpinned by the same platform as the Scorpio and will be a much more modern workhorse than the old model.

It is likely to be offered in single-cab and dual-cab bodystyles, and should come with a version of the 2.2-litre 129kW/400Nm turbocharged mHawk diesel unit used in the Scorpio. More engines are expected to be added down the track.

This will give Mahindra a genuine alternative to the leaders in the pick-up segment, including the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Isuzu D-Max/Mazda BT-50, as well as Chinese rivals such as the GWM Cannon, JAC T9 and LDV T60.

Mahindra could also be on the cusp of entering EV territory, with its recently revealed BE 6e and XEV 9e models in line for an Australian debut. The company’s local arm told CarsGuide in November: "Mahindra plans a phased, calibrated international rollout of the Electric Origin series, starting with right-hand drive (RHD) markets. We will make announcements of launch at the appropriate time."

The other model that could finally make it Down Under is the Thar. The Jeep Wrangler lookalike has been blocked from sale in Australia by Jeep’s owner Stellantis given its similar design to the American off-roader.

A five-door version of the Thar - dubbed the Thar Roxx - debuted in August last year riding on a new platform, but it’s unclear if it will ever make it to Australia.