This Indian car manufacturer is known best for its utility vehicles especially the Scorpio and the Bolero which have taken the market by storm. Now, there is news that Mahindra and Mahindra is planning another MPV, but this one is being developed in the US.
Mahindra has gone on a product offensive and is currently developing a new family of MPVs based on an all-new platform which will enter production in the next three years. This MPV, being developed at the North American Technical Center at Detroit, Michigan, is being built for India and its other global markets.
Confirming this news is Pawan Goenka, executive director and president (automotive), who told FE: “We have put Europe R&D plans on hold, but in the US we are going ahead. We have hired 35 plus engineers and we are developing a whole new product there that will be launched in 2017. It’s in the UV segment and will be sold in the global markets starting from India.”
With this move the carmaker is doing what it does best – stick to the utility vehicles segment. Mahindra had revealed in February that they were planning on a new family of MPVs. This strategy is mainly to shoulder the market shares while contending with direct competitors from the compact utility vehicle segment. These include manufacturers like Maruti Suzuki, Renault and Ford. There is not much information on the US-developed MPV as of now. But we can expect changes to the body shell and tweaking of the engines in this product.
Meanwhile, Mahindra has its hands full with the upcoming compact SUVs, codenamed as S101 and S102, being developed on all-new platforms. Another rugged SUV dubbed as the U301, designed on the likes of the Bolero, will be added to Mahindra’s portfolio in the next two years.
Source:FE
