Mahindra knows that Australian farmers have unique needs, and the company’s head of global product planning is placing high importance on meeting them
As the world’s largest tractor manufacturer by volume, Mahindra knows a thing or two about having a global presence and adapting to different requirements.
Dealing with so many international markets in addition to its native India not only involves ensuring its machines are suited to the unique farming characteristics of each country but also putting its attention to the regions which matter most.
When Mahindra’s head of global product planning Ravindra Shahane describes Australia as an “attractive market” and knows that Australian farmers will use their tractors differently to their compatriots overseas, it should be taken as a strong endorsement of the nation’s importance to a global machinery powerhouse.
Shahane and Mahindra Australia national manager Ankit Taneja spoke to Farms & Farm Machinery during the launch of the company’s OJA tractor range and both are excited to further expand the manufacturer’s footprint Down Under.
Knowing its strengths
Mahindra is far from a new player in the Australian tractor market, with 2025 marking the company’s 20th anniversary of selling locally.
Its focus is on smaller horsepower units rather than the broadacre beasts, with the OJA models brought into the country offering between 23hp and 25hp.
Across its wider range, the largest tractor offered locally is the 7590, which offers a 92hp engine.
The sub-100hp market is Mahindra’s core focus and Taneja says two decades of experience in the Australian landscape has proven there to be a strong local demand in this segment.
“We do not play in the 100-plus horsepower category and therefore any market which offers a substantial consumer base in that particular segment is a very attractive market for us,” he says.
“If you look at the 20 to 40 horsepower segment specifically, that contributes to around 23 to 24 per cent of the overall Australian industry and that itself is a substantial size of the market.
“We have a very good understanding around the lifestyle and the hobby farming segments, because we have been playing in that segment for a very long time.”
Differing needs
Hobby farmers are very much the target market for Mahindra in Australia, not just with the new OJA range but also across its full repertoire of tractors.
Shahane knows hobby farmers have different requirements to their broadacre counterparts, with the focus of Mahindra’s range being about operator comfort and having a machine that is not oversized or overpriced for these needs.
“If I look at Australia, much like the USA or many countries in Europe, a lot of home buyers are having to tend to their acreage,” Shahane says.
“They have a lot of work to do in the land they have, but they don’t need big machines because it’s not sizes like 100 acres – it’s maybe 10, 25 or even 50 acres and that’s where these kinds of tractors become very useful.
“Farmers don’t buy something too big but they buy the right size of product that can do the job.
“They don’t spend too many hours on it, but when they do spend their time they want to feel close to nature, they want to be happy with it and do everything that they need to.
“That’s why the versatility becomes so important, so that one tractor can do many things.”
Aussie specifics
Beyond just understanding the needs of hobby farmers generally, Shahane points to several differences between Australian farmers and Mahindra owners in other countries.
In Mahindra’s homeland of India – and where the manufacturer enjoys almost half the total market share – Shahane says that while some farmers will use a tractor between 80-90hp, a 50hp unit will generally be the main farming tractor due to their smaller overall land sizes.
“In countries like Australia, where the land sizes are much bigger, 50hp is often a support tractor,” he says.
“It becomes something that you do chores and small jobs with – so the expectation from that product changes quite a bit, and hence its nature changes.”
When Mahindra launched its OJA range, the company highlighted areas such as operator comfort and power-to-weight ratio as being standout features which Australian buyers would appreciate.
Shahane says the expectations of an Australian buyer are for features like this, whereas those in other countries will prioritise different areas.
“In somewhere like India or Thailand, the tractor needs to be a little bit heavier because it has to do heavier agricultural jobs,” he says.
“It needs to have more torque available to it on ground so that it can pull more land preparation equipment, whereas in Australia a lot of PTO driven implements will be used so you can work with a lighter tractor.
“It needs far more comfort because they are all owner-driven whereas in places like India, they can be driver-operated, so the owner may have two, three or four tractors and he doesn’t sit on the tractor personally.
“This means the comfort and operational ease are not key drivers, whereas in countries like Australia, they do become key drivers because it’s self-driven by the owner.
“Something like fuel efficiency will also be very critical in India because you put in many hours.
“Indian users might put in 700 or 800 hours but Australia puts about 200 or 250 hours so fuel efficiency is not as important, but the ease of operation is very important.”
Long-term commitment
The United States is often used as a reference point for Mahindra, as it is not only the manufacturer’s largest market outside its native India, and its similarities to Australia in terms of land sizes and overall farmer spending power give Mahindra a ‘free hit’ at how products are received there before assessing their suitability for Australia.
The OJA series, for example, launched in the USA about 18 months before it was brought to Australia, and a “very strong customer acceptance” in that market has given Mahindra further confidence it will be a success Down Under.
With 20 years of selling tractors to the Australian market, plus 80 years as a global company, Mahindra is here to stay and Shahane is keen to grow the company’s local presence.
“The Australian market has been a little bit on the decline recently, but it is a good size market and I think it presents a very good opportunity for us,” Shahane says.
“The volume of the Australian market is very attractive at a global level, and farmers use advanced machines, which is why we feel Australia is a good market to be in.”
Mahindra’s full Australian range can be viewed online at www.mahindraag.com.au