Mahindra Eyes South Africa Expansion as China Rivals Gain Ground

Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. is at an advanced stage of assessing plans to upgrade its South African plant, according to people familiar with the matter, as India’s second-largest automaker looks to capitalize on rising demand for affordable vehicles.

The company has been working with the state-owned Industrial Development Corp. to assess the feasibility of setting up completely knocked-down, or CKD, production at its facility near the port city of Durban, the people said, asking not to be identified because the discussions are private. Mahindra already assembles semi-knocked down vehicles at the plant.