According to latest reports, Mahindra’s compact SUV being developed under the codename, S101 will get bench type seat in the front. The bench type front seat will be capable of accommodating two passengers and a driver making it a total of three occupants. In its testing phase, it has been learnt that the engineers at Mahindra & Mahindra are conducting tests with dummy weights.
The test mule has been caught on lens while undergoing test runs a number of times around the country. S101 is likely to come equipped with fog-lights. The compact SUV will underpin the newly developed monocoque platform. Slated to be launched in India in 2015, S101 will be priced aggressively on the lines of B segment hatchbacks, however being a compact SUV it will much bigger in size. A hypothetical price ranging between Rs 5 lakh to Rs 7 lakh is being expected for the SUV. In its segment, the SUV will be pitted against Ford EcoSport, upcoming vehicles like Volkswagen Taigun and Tata Nexon primarily.
Power will come from newly developed, three- cylinder petrol and diesel engines. Both the engines will be matched to a manual gearbox; there is also a possibility of offering an automated manual transmission (AMT).