MUMBAI: Anand Mahindra wants to do an Elon Musk on the agriculture field. On Wednesday, the Mahindra & Mahindra chairman told its shareholders that the company would like to pioneer in making a driverless tractor , as it seeks to “feverishly” participate in disruptive mobility technologies.The most fertile ground for autonomy is in agricultural tractors, but it has not been emphasised enough globally, he said at the company’s 70th annual general meeting.And, agriculture is an area where productivity increases are sorely needed to feed the growing needs of the world. “It is also an area where paranoia about accidents and collision is virtually nonexistent.This is an area where Mahindra, as the largest tractor producer in the world, intends to play a pioneering role,” he said.Mahindra referred to the bet that Musk, the Tesla boss whose company is developing a self-driving car, has placed also on driverless commercial vehicles and how Mahindra’s approach is in the same direction: “At our management board meetings, I have stressed in the recent past, that using the strength of our telematics skills in the large Mahindra Group , we must focus on developing autonomous, driverless commercial vehicles.”The future of mobility, Mahindra said, will be centred on three topics: shared mobility, role of renewable energy-led vehicles and autonomous vehicles. He assured the shareholders that the company’s plans will be adjusted to “thrive under this new reality”.Mahindra reminded the shareholders that he had spoken of how the focus of young consumers today would be access as opposed to acquisition of cars and the “shared mobility” manufacturers would have to contend with.Mahindra & Mahindra reported a nearly 16 per cent increase in its first quarter net profit, a performance the company attributed to double-digit growth in utility vehicle and tractor sales.The net profit stood at Rs 962 crore for the quarter through June, compared with Rs 830 crore a year earlier.Sales rose 12 per cent to Rs 10,525 crore. Overall operating margin reduced 0.1percentage point to 14.1 per cent, but in the tractor segment, it crossed 20 per cent. With the rains boosting agricultural activity, M&M raised forecast on tractor sales to the mid-teens from 10 per cent last quarter.