Mahindra: From Jeeps to Tractors

A brief history of largest tractor brands and their logos

Second of Five Series: Mahindra

Mahindra & Mahindra was founded as a steel trading company in 1945 in Ludhiana, Punjab, India and was first named Mahindra & Muhammed by brothers Kailash Chandra Mahindra and Jagdish Chandra Mahindra, along with Malik Ghulam Muhammad.

In 1947, the name was changed to Mahindra and Mahindra when Muhammed migrated to Pakistan following the division of India. The brothers then expanded into manufacturing in Mumbai, India and started assembling the famous heavy-duty World War II Willys CJ3B Jeep. Mahindra has made off-road vehicles in general purpose vehicle (GVP) pattern since a 1947 contract with Willys to build them for the Indian market.

Mahindra has not stopped manufacturing the Jeep, with its latest iteration called the Mahindra Thar, whose body style is based on Jeep CJ5. Legend has it that Jeep was first called a general purpose vehicle or GVP, which then was abbreviated to Jeep.

As an established manufacturer in India, Mahindra formed a joint venture in 1963 with International Harvester to manufacture tractors carrying the Mahindra nameplate for the Indian market. The company produced the Mahindra B-275 tractor. The B-275 was an upgraded B-250, built first in England. After a few years of production, the tooling was transferred to Mahindra in India.

By 2010, Mahindra tractors were the world’s highest-selling brand by volume. They have been the market leader in India – the world’s largest agricultural market – since 1983.

Mahindra entered the American market in 1994 in Tomball, Texas, as Mahindra USA. Mahindra continued its expansion in the U.S. with distribution centers in Texas, California, Tennessee, Kansas, Arkansas, and Pennsylvania.

The Mahindra group not only manufactures farm equipment, but SUVs, ATVs, small passenger vehicles and motorcycles as well.