Even as Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) is firming plans to introduce a sport utility vehicle (SUV) from the SsangYong Motor portfolio in its home turf sometime next year, it launched the indigenously developed SUV XUV500 in South Africa on Friday.
The vehicle, M&M’s biggest product initiative in the passenger vehicle market since the launch of Scorpio in 2002, marks the company’s aspiration to emerge as a global SUV player in the coming years.
Rajesh Jejurikar, chief executive (automotive division), M&M, said, “We interacted with 1,500 consumers across the world and incorporated the feedback while designing and developing the vehicle. It is an SUV made in India, which has been adapted to global requirements.”
Over the next six to nine months, M&M intends to ship the vehicle to other markets in Africa, South America, Russia, Western Europe and Australia. Pawan Goenka, president, automotive and farm equipment sector, M&M, had said yesterday he would be disappointed, if the company did not achieve at least 20 per cent of total production for exports. At present, M&M can produce 2,000 units of the vehicle a month.
| SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES | |
| Model |
Price in Rs lakh* |
| Mahindra & Mahindra XUV500 | 10.80-12.88 |
| Mahindra & Mahindra Scorpio | 7.44-12.41 |
| Tata Safari Dicor | 7.90-12.56 |
| Force One | 10.65 |
| Maruti Suzuki Gypsy | 5.44-5.66 |
| Suzuki Grand Vitara | 16.94-18.27 |
| Toyota Fortuner | 20.15 |
| Ford Endeavour | 17.05-19.71 |
| Chevrolet Captiva | 18.17-19.94 |
| Honda CR-V | 22.64-24.88 |
| Hyundai Santa Fe | 21.46-23.47 |
| Mitsubishi Outlander | 20.25 |
| Nissan X-Trail | 22.14-26.40 |
| Skoda Yeti | 15.35-16.73 |
| *Ex-showroom, Delhi Source: Industry | |
Styled with design lines inspired from the Cheetah, the Global SUV XUV 500 features a touchscreen multimedia system, driver information system and tyre pressure monitoring system. It conforms to European crash regulations and comes equipped with safety features, such as the hill descent and ascent control. It delivers a fuel efficiency of 15.1 km/litre, one of the highest in the segment.
“Even the base version of XUV500 is loaded with features, all of which are not needs expressed by Indian customers. It is a showcase vehicle for us, as it demonstrates the technology Mahindra is capable of bringing to a product,” said Jejurikar. The company has invested Rs 650 crore in developing the vehicle, which does not include the cost of engine and transmission.
The 2.2-litre diesel-propelled vehicle has been tagged aggressively in India. While the base version, W6, is available for Rs 10.80 lakh, the top-end variant, W8, comes for Rs 12.88 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).
Jejurikar said, “It is an opportunity for category creation. XUV500 will offer a choice to those consumers who were looking to upgrade to a SUV, but were not getting the requisite features at prices less than Rs 19-20 lakh.”
M&M, at present, has a 60 per cent share in the SUV market in India. As much as 65 per cent of sales for the company come from semi-urban and rural markets. The company hopes to strengthen the Mahindra brand in urban centres with the XUV500. Booking for the vehicle would commence on October 1. Initially, XUV500 would be available in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Pune and Bangalore.
