Mahindra Opens American Tech Center

India's Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. has opened its first technical center in North America to provide engineering services to auto industry customers in the Detroit area.

The facility in suburban Troy, Mich., has an initial staff of 25 engineers. But Mahindra says employment could reach 100 within eight months. The company's Mahindra Engineering Services unit operates the center.

Mahindra has sold farm tractors in the U.S. for 18 years and has an assembly plant in Texas. But its attempt to expand into pickup trucks failed two years ago amid a dispute with its intended U.S. distributor.

The company tells reporters it offers a "frugal" approach to engineering that provides innovation and designed-in value.