Ssangyong has finally taken the wraps off its new crossover concept, the XLV, at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show. The XLV or eXciting Smart Lifestyle Vehicle is a seven-seater SUV based on the 2011 XIV-1 concept and will spawn off production models for both Mahindra and Ssangyong. The testing mules of the car have been spotted quite a few times in India and China and we expect the car to be launched by 2015.
Depicting Ssangyong's new design philosophy, ‘Nature born 3 motion’, the XLV features an aggressive front end with the bumper integrating LED strips. Angular lines flank the thick C-pillar moving on to wrap-around tail lights, which mould into the flared wheel arches. The car has a raised suspension, underbody protective cover and side sills on the front fender which give it the typical urban SUV look. Interiors get a refreshing two-tone design and the dashboard gets an orange red trim with honeycomb graphics. The XLV accommodates seven passengers in a unique 2+2+2+1 seating arrangement with the seventh seat sliding between the second and third rows for optimum flexibility.
Since Mahindra acquired the Korean manufacturer, both the companies have been putting in a lot of efforts in trying to improve and become a global player in the auto industry. With the backing of Mahindra, Ssangyong now has a long list of acronyms to its credit, all of which denote a different concept. Recently, Mahindra had revealed that both the companies were jointly developing engines which will be first seen in Ssangyong’s X100 compact SUV, the five-seater production model of the XLV. The compact SUV will be sold as a Mahindra in India and will go up against other compact SUVs like the Ford EcoSport and Renault Duster. Despite being the only seven-seater compact SUV on sale in the country, the Mahindra Quanto hasn’t exactly tasted much success, but with this product, the Mumbai-based manufacturer hopes to grab a bigger bite of the segment.
