In his latest video, Dr. Vivek Bindra explains why Anand Mahindra, despite being the heir to the Mahindra Group, still had to prove his own talent.
As foreign companies began to dominate the Indian market, Anand Mahindra turned the tables by launching the Scorpio.
For years, motivational speaker and business coach Dr. Vivek Bindra has been imparting valuable business lessons to people across the country through his YouTube channel. Recently, he initiated a new series focused on the most successful business tycoons in India. In the first episode of this series, Dr. Bindra discusses one of the nation’s top businessmen, Anand Mahindra, Chairman of the Mahindra Group.
In this video, Dr. Bindra highlights key aspects of Anand Mahindra’s business journey. Despite being the grandson of Jagdish Mahindra, the founder of the Mahindra & Mahindra Group, Anand Mahindra faced comments from people suggesting that he would never have to struggle for success due to his inherited business empire.
Instead of relying on family wealth, Anand Mahindra chose to prove his capabilities on his own.
Anand Mahindra decided to carve out his own path and pursued studies unrelated to the family business, enrolling at Harvard University in the U.S. for a course in photography and filmmaking. After completing his studies, he made a film about the Kumbh Mela, which won several awards and earned him recognition for his unique identity.
Later, he returned to Harvard for an MBA and then joined the family business. He started as an intern and, after years of proving his abilities, rose to become the Chairman. His success is evident from the fact that in 1991, the Mahindra Group’s revenue was just ₹1,250 crore, which has now surged to ₹1.20 lakh crore in 2024.
Refusing to back down in the face of foreign competition, he created one of India’s most iconic cars.
In 1991, when foreign cars were capturing the hearts of Indian consumers with their features, and Indian companies were struggling, Anand Mahindra partnered with Ford to launch a car called the Escort. However, the car failed miserably due to its unappealing machinery and design. Determined to create a new car, Anand Mahindra met with Pawan Goenka, known as the grandfather of the Indian automobile industry.
Anand Mahindra expressed his desire to build a car that could accommodate large Indian joint families with nine to ten seats. Pawan Goenka estimated that such a car would cost ₹1,000 crore to develop. Despite the staggering costs that caused many investors to withdraw, Anand Mahindra persisted. His relentless effort led to the launch of the Scorpio in 2002, which became the most successful car for the Mahindra Group and remains so to this day. The
Scorpio proved to be a game-changer for Mahindra Group.
Today, Anand Mahindra is among the most successful businessmen in India, continually scouting for new talent and fostering it. Dr. Vivek Bindra’s YouTube video also includes several other stories from Anand Mahindra’s business and personal life. You can watch this video on Dr. Bindra’s channel. The “Tycoons of India” series will continue for the next 52 weeks, with Dr. Bindra sharing the stories of all the major business tycoons in the country.
