Mahindra & Mahindra has been facing stiff competition in the highly competitive sports utility and utility vehicle segments; though it, still, is the largest player in these segment. But with several new cars launching in these segments, the home-grown automaker is readying a bunch of all new and facelifted cars to to counter its rivals.
The company will launch five new SUVs this year - S101 compact SUV, U301 Bolero, XUV500 facelift, Thar facelift and Quanto facelift. All five SUVs have already been spotted several times during their test rounds on Indian roads.
Going by the spyshots available on web, the updated XUV 500 crossover gets a new front fascia and new alloy wheels; however, the rear end of the SUV remains unchanged. Under the hood, however, will be the existing 2.2litre turbo diesel engine that churns out 140bhp and 330Nm of torque. The company might also introduce the automatic variant of the SUV. The cabin, too, might get new features.
The Thar facelift is popular among off-roading enthusiasts, but its sales has been affected due to not-up-to-the-mark interior quality. But Mahindra is now all set to give a mid life makeover to this SUV too. The SUV will share interiors from the Bolero with revised instrument panel and new steering wheel. Under the bonnet will be the same 2.5-litre CRDe turbo diesel engine that is good for 105bhp and 247Nm of torque. The exteriors of the SUV are also likely to get subtle changes.
The third product we are talking about is the Quanto facelift that along with some exterior changes, will also get an automated manual transmission (AMT). The company will make changes to the exteriors of the SUV, and will get modern front fascia. It will continue to be a sub-4 metre SUV, and will get improved suspension.
