Mahindra & Mahindra has been present in the Indian market for a long time and is known for producing Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) that are powered by diesel engines. And to say the least, the automaker has done really well with some of its models performing par excellence, such as Mahindra Scorpio and Mahindra XUV500.
The Indian market, needless to say, is highly affected by what happens in the economy and fluctuation of fuel rates has forced changes in strategies of many automobile manufacturers. In recent times, due to international crude oil rates, the difference between prices of petrol and diesel have reduced drastically, causing a shift in consumer buying pattern from the former to the latter.
Seeing this change in demand, Mahindra & Mahindra, according to sources, has planned a strategy shift and will be looking to launch vehicles powered by petrol engines. This is going to be a huge alteration in the firm’s marketing strategy since all models in its current portfolio are fitted with diesel powertrains.
Sources claim that the next couple of cars launched Mahindra & Mahindra are going to be compact Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) that will be powered by petrol drivetrains. These models are expected to be game changers and will rival the likes of Ford EcoSport and Renault Duster.
Industry experts have expressed positivity in Mahindra & Mahindra’s new strategy, claiming that the firm’s pre-existing customer base in the SUV peripheral will provide a lot of assistance in generating demand. The new compact SUVs will be powered by an all-new 1.2-litre engine and will also be equipped with a turbocharger. Depending on the specific model, the engine of a particular is going to be tuned differently. Mahindra & Mahindra, sources claim, have collaborated with SsnagYong for the development of the petrol engine.
The Indian car market has seen some game changing developments in the past years with the compact SUV segment gaining precedence over several others. Both Renault Duster and Ford EcoSport models have been huge successes in India and have created a huge demand for compact SUVs in the country. Though Nissan Terrano was launched last year, it was not able to create any waves due to its high-end pricing.
Mahindra & Mahindra, albeit a big player in the main SUV segment, is still to launch a compact utility vehicle in the market. However, the company is in no mood to let things be the way they are and has lined up three compact SUV launches in coming days. A micro SUV, sub-4 metre Bolero and a full-fledged SUV are set to be launched by Mahindra Mahindra in coming months, positioning it excellently to compete with rivals in the time to come.
Mahindra & Mahindra has no plans of stopping at new launches and will be looking to introduced facelift versions of existing commercial and passenger vehicles. With the launch of an updated Mahindra Scorpio imminent, the automaker will also be introducing upgrades of XUV500, Quanto, Thar and Genio. As far as expanding to foreign markets is concerned, the Mahindra & Mahindra would be looking to enter USA with SsangYong cars, something it is still figuring out by checking its strategic viability.
