Mr Delivery has acquired 60 Mahindra three-wheeler vehicles, fitted with specially designed, lockable canopies, to service a new contract for the Pick n Pay Online Shopping delivery service, which operates from a number of hubs in the country.

The Mr Delivery fleet – which is expected to grow in the future – is dedicated to the Pick n Pay business, with most journeys 5 km to 10 km in distance.

Deliveries are made to the Mr Delivery hubs by trucks, and then packed into the three-wheelers for localised deliveries.

The vehicles are powered by a 400 cm3 air-cooled diesel engine, developing 5.5 kW of power and 16.7 Nm of torque. The manual transmission offers four forward speeds, as well as reverse.

The three-wheelers are of monocoque construction with a cab and doors. Each vehicle can carry a load of more than 500 kg.

The vehicle offers a long wheelbase with independent suspension on all three wheels. The dual circuit front and rear drum brakes are auto adjusting.

“We have always been aware of the cost-effectiveness of these three-wheelers, which are a popular and efficient means of delivering goods in many cities around the world, and we believe they are ideal for the Pick n Pay contract,” says Mr Delivery director David Chait.

“We have selected Mahindra South Africa (SA) as the vehicle supplier due to the fact that it is a reputable company with a growing dealer network. It has a good footprint in the urban areas to provide the necessary service and parts supply. The vehicles themselves are also robust and return very good fuel economy, while being keenly priced.”

Mahindra SA, however, is not keen to reveal the pricing, as the Mr Delivery contract serves as the introduction of these fully homologated, Indian-made vehicles into South Africa. They are also not yet freely available at Mahindra SA dealers.

“We are delighted that Mr Delivery has chosen our Mahindra three-wheelers for this new project and we are confident they will provide the solution for this localised transport operation,” comments Mahindra SA CEO Ashok Thakur.

“We are sure this pilot operation by Mr Delivery will result in many other companies in South Africa seeing our three-wheelers as the ideal transport solution for many urban deliveries.”

Mr Delivery was founded in 1992, with Chait and Alon Rom buying into the company three years ago.

Subsequent to this, Cape Town-based online retailer takealot.com has acquired 60% shareholding in the company.

Mr Delivery dispatches between 85 000 and 100 000 items a month via its 48-strong franchise network, which employs 800 drivers nationwide.

Mahindra SA is a fully owned subsidiary of Mahindra & Mahindra of India, and has 55 dealers in South Africa.