Mahindra Opens Assembly Plant in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka is celebrating its first auto assembly plant, a facility launched by neighboring India’s Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. to make KUV100 mini-crossover vehicles from kits.
Sri Lanka is celebrating its first auto assembly plant, a facility launched by neighboring India’s Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. to make KUV100 mini-crossover vehicles from kits.

The $11 million factory is operated by Mahindra Ideal Lanka Ltd. The joint venture is owned 65% by Mahindra and 35% by local distributor Ideal Motors.
Sri Lanka’s annual car market consists of about 36,000 vehicles, 80% of them used. The country’s entire supply of vehicles is imported, with tariffs ranging between 100% and 300%.
Mahindra Ideal has capacity to assemble 5,000 crossovers per year. The venture’s factory is using local suppliers for tires, batteries, seats and exhaust systems to provide roughly 30% local content for the KUV100s it makes. The venture plans to add other models in the future.
RELATED CONTENT
-
Rage Against the Machine
There have been more than 20 reported attacks against Waymo’s self-driving fleet in Chandler, Ariz., since the company began testing the technology on public roads there two years ago.
-
On Automotive: An All Electric Edition
A look at electric vehicle-related developments, from new products to recycling old batteries.
-
On Zeekr, the Price of EVs, and Lighting Design
About Zeekr, failure, the price of EVs, lighting design, and the exceedingly attractive Karma