Mahindra’s new MPV is christened as the ‘Marazzo’

-    The MPV will be based on a new platform with a monocoque construction and will have a new design language.

-   The Marazzo will rival against the likes of Toyota Innova Crysta, Tata Hexa and the upcoming new-gen Maruti Suzuki Ertiga.

Mahindra has officially christened their new MPV as the Marazzo. Codenamed the U321, the Marazzo MPV will be launched before the end of Q2 FY2018, which indicates a launch before Diwali.

Being developed for a couple of years now, the Marazzo is based on an all-new platform. The Marazzo is the first car to be developed at Mahindra’s North American Technical Centre with inputs from Pininfarina. The new MPV will debut the new design language from the Indian carmaker which will trickle down to future products as well. All the design elements of the Marazzo are inspired by a shark, claims Mahindra. So upfront there will be a shark teeth inspired grille and at the rear, the tail lights will have shark fin-like design. Mahindra will also add a shark fin antenna on the roof. 

Unlike its predecessor, the Xylo, the Marazzo will have a monocoque construction. It will have a seven and eight seat configuration. It will have the largest footprint of any Mahindra vehicle. Being Mahindra’s all-new product, the equipment list of the Marazzo will be long enough to match the carmaker’s newfound standards. Therefore, we expect the MPV to get features like automatic climate control, touchscreen infotainment system, sunroof, premium leatherette upholstery, longitudinally roof-mounted rear air-con vents, with a host of safety equipment. The instrument cluster will be all-new with purple illumination. 

While no technical details have been revealed officially, we think the 1.5-litre Falcon diesel engine might power the Marazzo. In the TUV300, the same engine produces 100bhp and 240Nm.  Depending upon the positioning, it might also get the more powerful 2.2-litre or the 1.99-litre mHawk engines with the option of a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic gearbox as well.   

When it arrives in the market, the Marazzo is expected to go head on against the Tata Hexa. It will certainly be more expensive than the Ertiga owing to its size but might not be as expensive as the Innova Crysta. We expect the Marazzo’s price tag to be above Rs. 10 lakhs.