Speaking to The Financial Express, Mahindra & Mahindra executive vice-president (marketing) RM Cursetji said the limited edition Quadro will be sold only on order, available through exclusive dealership outlets in the country.

``Customers would have the option of not only placing an order over the Net but also choose the colour and type of upholstery and accessories to be fitted into the vehicle,'' said Cursetji. The booking amount for the customised Quadro would be Rs 10,000. Cursetji said the price of the vehicle would vary with the level of customisation. The company is yet to determine the price tag. Officials, however, expect the price to be between Rs 4.5 and Rs 6 lakh. The vehicle is currently undergoing trials.

The limited editionQuadro would have 4000 rpm 72.5 HP XD3 engine and BA 10 gear box. It will have optional power steering and air conditioning with provision for stereo and fog lamps. The company plans to position Quadro as an off-road, rugged all terrain utility vehicle which would appeal to the younger generation.

Cursetji said that lot of in-house R&D effort has gone into developing the Quadro.

Customisation of vehicles is new foray for the company. Mahindras have recently set up a new company Mahindra Auto Specialities Ltd to offer custom-built vehicles. It has also entered into a technical tie-up with Israel-based Plassan Sasa to build bullet-proof vehicles for the defence forces and high net worth individuals. The company also plans to roll out cash vans and bullet-proof Ambassador vehicles in the coming months. Mahindras plan to tap the export market for such vehicles aggressively, officials said.

Mahindras are also making a foray into the second-hand market. The company has recently launched a website to hawksecond-hand vehicles. Officials claim that the website has over 35,000 hits per day. The company also plans to step up refurbishing services and offer warranty to used-car owners.

The new company expects to do business worth Rs 60 crore in the first year of operation.

As a market expansion strategy, Cursetji said the company plans to focus on introducing new models. ``We expect around 30 per cent of our sales in the current financial year to come through new models,'' he said. The company is investing around Rs 600 crore for developing a new multiutility vehicle under project Scorpio which is expected to hit the roads in March 2000.