Mahindra & Mahindra seems aggressive with its expansion plans for the highly competitive Indian market. The company is contemplating a series of new launches and facelifts in the next couple of years. The homegrown automaker recently launched the new-generation Scorpio SUV, and will launch two new compact SUVs- S101 and U301 Bolero in the Indian car market in 2015. Adding to it, Mahindra is also working on the facelifted version of its flagship SUV- the XUV500.
At the 2014 Delhi Motor Show, Mahindra showcased the diesel-electric hybrid powerplant and it is expected that the next model could get this variant. Moreover, the facelifted XUV500 is expected to get an automatic variant that will be paired to the 2.2-litre mHawk turbo diesel engine. The engine is expected to be tuned to offer more power and torque value.
First launched in 2011, the flagship Mahindra XUV500 has been one of the company’s top selling product. However, the vehicle started losing its charm and the sales declines in past one year. Interestingly, the homegrown maker is also planning to add petrol variant to the facelifted SUV, which is likely to give a big push to company’s export strategy.
The petrol variant of the XUV500 could serve as an entry level model, while the automatic and hybrid variants are likely to be positioned above in the line-up. The automatic gearbox is developed by Mahindra in association with SsangYong, and this transmission would also be offered on the SsangYong Tivoli compact SUV.
