Mahindra to export XUV500, Quanto and Genio to Brazil in 2013

At the recently concluded Sau Paulo auto show in Brazil, Mahindra displayed three of its products – namely the XUV500, Quanto and the Genio pickup. Mahindra will launch these three models in the Latin American market in the first half of 2013, with few changes including a 2.2-litre petrol engine and left-hand-drive setup.

The XUV500 and the Quanto have been caught testing in Brazil recently with camouflage. The vehicles are expected to be powered by 2.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine that propels the Scorpio in South Africa with power rating of 156bhp and 280Nm of torque. The engine is derived from the 2.2-litre mHawk and will have to be further tweaked to run on ethanol-petrol blend, in line with the norms in Brazil. The engine will be available in two states of tunes – one for the XUV500 and a slightly detuned version for the Genio and the Quanto.

We don’t know if Mahindra plans to assemble the models in Brazil or will opt for CBU route. The decision might play decisive role in their success, as Brazil is also a developing economy like India and has stringent taxation policy for full imports making them expensive.