The official verdict is out. Earlier codenamed as the W201 is now the new Mahindra XUV 500 which will be on the roads from the 28th September 2011. The car is one of kind because it has been built with significant inputs from customers across the globe. The company further cleared that it will launch the much anticipated one of a kind SUV on the September 28, 2011. After this the pricing, strategy and technology behind the vehicle would be announced the next day before a visit to the Chakan plant and test drives.
The car has been completely conceptualized, designed and created at the company’s R & D unit at Chennai with the main focus point being the end customer. The engine is again a first of a kind transverse engine. The novelty does not end here. In fact even the design of the car is based on the monocoque design which just takes out of the box features to a different level. Apart from being different, the car has also adheres to top notch standards, quality, technology, testing, norms, regulations and emissions.
Mahindra has not taken success lightly despite the huge sales of Mahindra Scorpio, Mahindra Bolero and the recently launched Mahindra Thar. The company does not want to rest on its laurels and it is the manufacturer’s first attempt at a vehicle aiming at different driving terrains and customers across the globe.
Even the name of the car has not been spared. The 00 in the XUV 500 means double 00 similar to 007 in the famous spy character, the James bond. The overall built of the car is carefully balanced with good proportions distributed all over. The car over all has an imposing stance slightly bending forward which is the final outcome with most monocoque or unibody constructions.
From the computer graphic generated images of the car it is evident that the car has high elevated swept back floodlights. The curvy Mahindra grille as usual rounds off the overall exterior looks making for an eye catching delight. The elevating beltline and tapered roof give it an air of compactness. All these changes are from reports so if Mahindra does not have any other surprises up its sleeve then the XUV 500 will surely be the most attractive product from the house of Mahindra and Mahindra. All this will set up a perfect platform for the M&M, which is hoping its next gen vehicles will put it par with auto makers around the world.
The car has a transversely located 2.2-litre mHawk engine and a new transaxle, specifically developed for the “XUV500” entirely from scratch. The gear transmission is a novelty as well with five and six speed options made with assistance from Ricardo. The engine will have a power of up to 120 to 140 bhp with torque of 32.6 kgm. Then there are the surprise elements like the traction control, ESP, hill descent control capable of handling any terrain.
The XUV 500 will make its debut in India and South Africa and is later slated for releases all over the world. The car will simultaneously come in both two wheel and four wheel drive options. The XUV500 till date can be held as Mahindra’s litmus test product. The car will be positioned above the Scorpio and it could cost around Rs 13 lakh for the base 2WD version.
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