CHICAGO — Navistar has introduced a line of trucks to the Indian market through a joint venture with Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. of India.

The trucks, designed with India’s rough roads and conditions in mind, have GVW ranges between 56,000 pounds to 109,000 pounds.

"With the addition of the MN 40 and MN 49 trucks and tractors to its product portfolio, Mahindra-Navistar is now well poised to cater to a wide spectrum of requirements in the Indian Heavy Commercial Vehicle (HCV) industry," said Anand Mahindra, vice chairman and managing director, Mahindra Group.

The MN 40 and MN 49 trucks are equipped with Navistar’s MaxxForce 7.2 liter CRDI engine with the 4-valve per cylinder technology.

The two formed the MNAL joint venture in 2005, with the goal of manufacturing light-, medium- and heavy-duty vehicles for India as well as export markets. Mahindra-Navistar plans on expanding the product line over the next two years to offer a full range of commercial vehicle weights.

Navistar handled the product development for the new vehicles, and Navistar’s team worked with MNAL engineers to bring North American technology into the Indian market.

The new vehicles will be built at Mahindra & Mahindra’s new Greenfield plant at Chakan, near Pune, a site that covers more than 700 acres. The plant will be used to produce other Mahindra & Mahindra products as well. MNAL plans to add 50 new dealers across the country.