Mahindra which wants to be Land Rover one day is eyeing Chrysler’s iconic Jeep unit. Interestingly Mahindra got into auto business in 1945 through manufacturing licensed Willys Jeeps. Mahindra still builds a CJ-derived model called Commander in both soft-top and hardtop versions. If Mahindra acquistion plan do not go through, there are few more options as well. Mahindra may do some contract engineering work in India for Chrysler, as well as the possibility of the companies exchanging equity stakes. In the meantime, Mahindra is gearing up to sell versions of its older Scorpio SUV and pickup next year in North America, through an independent distributor, Global Vehicles USA, based in Alpharetta, Georgia. The distributor has said it may assemble the pickup, which will be rebranded as the Mahindra Appalachian, in Ohio from knocked-down kits to avoid a 25 percent tariff imposed on imported trucks. The company also has said it plans to offer a diesel-hybrid powertrain in 2010.