Mahindra XUV 500’s new variant the W4 may be priced at Rs10.99 lakh (ex-showroom New-Delhi). It is expected to be launched by Diwali in a bid to garner more sales for the automaker and compete with the new launches like Nissan Terrano and Renault Duster.
We had earlier reported about Mahindra’s best and the most impressive car the XUV 500 will be getting get a cheaper version without making any major changes to its customer-appealing exteriors and without losing its road presence. All of this is being aimed at achieving more sales figures. Currently only about 2,000 units of the XUV 500 are being sold per month which is less than half of what it was when it was initially launched. The Mahindra Scorpio is priced between Rs 8.08- Rs 12.75 lakh. Mahindra wouldn’t want to affect the sales of the Scorpio by pricing both in the same bracket so it has apparently priced it cleverly at about Rs 10.99 lakh.
The cheaper W4 variant will eventually lose a lot of features like monochrome display screen, automatic cornering headlamps, front fog lamps, automatic climate control, electronically powered OVRMs, cruise control, rain sensing wipers, telescopic steering adjustment and steering mounted controls. Good news is that the package will not omit projector headlamps, LED parking lamps, tilt adjustable steering, six way adjustable driver’s seat and remote central locking. It will get a CD and mp3 compatible basic music system with four speakers.
The makers have also concentrated on improving the problems the original car had. To mention a few, an enhanced overall build quality, revised braking system and also an improvised clutch operation. It will also retain important safety features like airbags, disc brakes and ABS with EBD.
The 2.2-litre M-hawk diesel engine, producing 140bhp and 330Nm of torque bolted to a six-speed transmission, will be retained. It should be a two-wheel drive with power delivered to front wheels.
We expect Mahindra to officially launch the variant next month with the competitive pricing and take on the Renault Duster and Nissan Terrano.