Guwahati, June 14: Construction equipment manufacturer Mahindra & Mahindra has come up with a four-wheel earthmover suitable for the hilly terrain of the Northeast.

"The Mahindra Earthmaster four-wheel drive is tailor-made for the hilly terrain of the Northeast unlike the two-wheel drive launched here in 2012 that is suited to plain land. We had launched the four-wheel earthmover in other hilly areas such as Uttarakhand recently and will do so in Himachal Pradesh in the next few days," Jacob Varghese, national head, sales & customer care (construction equipment business), M&M, told The Telegraph at the launch of the earthmover here today.

Mahindra, which has a 3 per cent market share in the country in the construction equipment segment, is opening its first dealership in the Northeast here in a bid to expand its retail presence in the region. It will be the 15th outlet in eastern India.

Mahindra & Mahindra is a part of the US $ 17.8 billion Mahindra Group. The company has so far sold over 5,000 such earthmovers in the country.

"The outlet is coming up on GS Road in the next two months. While our priority is to cater to our existing as well as new clients with prompt and hassle-free service, the target is to roll out 1,500 earthmovers in the country and at least 150 earthmovers in the Northeast market by the end of the current fiscal," Varghese said.

The 1,770 square-foot showroom will sell the complete range of Mahindra's construction equipment such as the back hoe loaders, front end loaders, pick and carry cranes.

"Given the construction boom in the Northeast of late, we expect our machines to be accepted here. We will cater to both government departments and private clients," he said.

Mahindra's construction equipment business competes with frontline companies such as JCB, which has a market share of over 70 per cent, and Case among others in the Indian market.