NEW DELHI: Mahindra group Chairman Anand Mahindra's response to stinging criticism of the group's vehicles on social media, taking it as a fuel of "hunger to succeed" has won hearts of netizens, even with fellow industrialist Harsh Goenka terming it as a 'masterclass'.

Responding to a post on X by an user, who had used derogatory words to describe the company's vehicles asking it to improve vehicle quality, fix service issues and employee attitude, Mahindra acknowledged, saying, "We have a long way to go".

He further said, "But please consider how far we have come. When I joined the company in 1991, the economy had just been opened up."

Mahindra recollected "a global consulting firm strongly advised us to exit the car business since we had no chance, in their view, of competing with the foreign brands that would enter".

Yet, he added, "Three decades later, we are still around and competing fiercely. We have used all the surrounding cynicism, scepticism' and even rudeness, as in your post -- to fuel our hunger to succeed."

The veteran industrialist further wrote, "Yes, we have miles to go before we sleep. There is no room for any complacency and continuous improvement will continue to be our mantra. But thank you for feeding the fire in our bellies..."

Reacting to his post, RPG Enterprise Chairman Harsh Goenka wrote, "Masterclass in reacting to an irate customer."

The X user, who ignited the conversation, later clarified that he is not an M&M customer, having cancelled a booking he found out after research that the company's vehicle is "not for me because I can not handle service centre visits".

The user admitted that he has "always been a big fan of Anand sir" and would want to buy a Mahindra vehicle as soon as he finds it according to his benchmarks.

Mahindra's post had over 18 lakh views receiving over 2,500 replies.