With its stronghold in the Utility Vehicle segment coming under threat, Mahindra is lining up a slew of launches to protect its turf. One of them is the TUV300 that Mahindra was kind enough to reveal through official sketches a week back. We at Anything On Wheels had different plans though and revealed most details about the vehicle through two separate sightings of test mules near Pune and Chennai. While the TUV300 itself is a compact SUV that ducks under 4 meters in length, the other all-new model Mahindra is gearing up to launch is an even-smaller SUV.
Code-named S101, this test vehicle was spotted covering rapid miles in the busy NH 45 (Chennai-Trichy highway) last evening. When the man behind the wheel noticed that the vehicle was photographed, he was visibly agitated. He even tried to confront us once. We are sorry dude, we were just doing our duty as automotive bloggers.
From these shots, it is evident that the S101 would boast the familiar Mahindra corporate face up front. The grille is nearly identical to the ones we see in the new Scorpio and XUV500 and has a thick vertical slat flanked on either sides by three vertical slats with chrome highlights. We are not sure on what to make out of this vehicle's proportions. While the tall nose and high ground clearance hint at its SUV aspirations, the sloping roof and curved greenhouse gives it an impression of a hatchback. Its footprint is really compact too, not much different from an i20 or a Swift. It would be interesting to see how Mahindra prices and positions this model when it goes on sale. Let's not forget that the Renault Kwid follows a similar formula with its styling.
Though not confirmed yet, the S101 could share its engine and transmission options with the TUV300. That means the option of an Automated Manual Transmission (AMT) is a safe bet too. With Mahindra said to be working on new gasoline and diesel engines with displacements less than 1.2 and 1.5 liters respectively, the S101 would meet all criteria required for excise duty concessions. Apart from the 'value for money' quotient, Mahindra is also known for loading its vehicles with lots of features. If they decide to play the same cards with the S101, they are in with a good shot at success.
This looks like in competition with elite i20
ReplyDeleteMahindra might position this differently (as a micro SUV, perhaps). But yes, with its proportions, this would end up competing with cars like the i20 and Jazz.
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