Mahindra ventured into the two-wheeler space after acquiring a large stake in the Kinetic Engineering company, a scooter manufacturer that did well almost a decade ago, who eventually lost out in the race. Three of Mahindra's automatic scooters, plus a motorcycle were taken off its assembly lines recently.
The decision to discontinue the models was taken as a result of the poor sales performance as well as demand achieved by them. Of the scooters Flyte, Kine, and Duro DZ were taken off while the Pantero was the motorcycle to be struck off. All the scooters except the Kine had a peppy 125cc; the Kine had a small 71cc engine.
The Pantero on the other hand, designed to be a proper commuter bike, was given an 'intelligent' 110cc engine – intelligent thanks to the indigenously developed MCi-5 engine that automatically selects the best ignition curve depending on the ride. Mahindra has not yet made it big in the Indian two-wheeler segment, the Centuro being the sole motorcycle contender, Gusto and Rodeo UZO 125 being the contenders in the automatic scooter segment. Mahindra's online portal also does not show the models that stopped production.
Although Mahindra can breathe a sigh of relief with the performance of the existing models on the sales charts, it would need to seriously contemplate on the launch of the much awaited Mahindra Mojo that is long overdue. The bike was properly displayed at the Delhi Auto Expo in 2014, 4 years past its unveiling as a prototype along with the Stallio.
However, Mahindra has been testing the 300cc bike for years! The people can't wait to see it hit the roads, and the internet anticipates its launch pretty soon whenever a spy image comes up, only to be left hopelessly in the dark, further leaving everyone in frustration. Now would be a good time to launch the 300 to compete with the rest of the mid-level performance entries.