Mahindra Genio facelift caught testing near Pune

​Mahindra appears to be having its hands full at the moment. Hot on the heels of launching extensive facelifts of its big-selling Scorpio and XUV500 SUVs, the Indian manufacturer is already lining up two new SUVs for launch in the coming months. At the same time, its products in the commercial segment aren't left in the lurch either.

The Genio pickup, launched in India in 2011, seems to be the next in line for a facelift. Parked near Mahindra's manufacturing facility at Chakan in Maharashtra, this camouflaged test vehicle was snapped by one of our eagle-eyed readers from Pune and is probably amongst the first spy shots ever of the vehicle. While the makeshift circular headlights and the tacky turn signals try to make things a bit difficult to judge, the rest of the vehicle is ample sheet metal for us to conclude that this is indeed the Genio.

Long dominated by old workhorses from Tata and Mahindra, the commercial pick up segment got a fillip a couple of years back with the launch of Isuzu D-Max. Being a global model, the D-Max raised the bar with a powerful engine and quality interiors loaded with features that were hitherto found in passenger cars. If Mahindra is smart, the upcoming Genio could be it's answer to the challenge thrown in by Isuzu.

Though details are scarce at the moment, we expect the Genio facelift to feature changes majorly concentrated on the headlights, grille and bumper. We could already see hints of Mahindra's new corporate grille behind the messy black and white camouflage of the test vehicle. While we do not have pictures of the sides and the rear, the fact that Mahindra has not bothered to cover them hints that not much changes should be expected in those areas. All said and done, customers do not buy products like the Genio for their aesthetic appeal. All that matters is ruggedness and go-anywhere capability which this Mahindra appears to have in loads. The interiors could receive significant upgrades too if Mahindra intends to pose a serious threat to its modern rivals with the Genio.

Expect no changes to its power train and mechanicals though with the same 2.5-liter mDI CRDe engine producing 75 horsepower and 220 Nm of torque being the mainstay of the Genio range. Going by Mahindra's track record, we wouldn't be surprised if the Start-Stop system dubbed 'Micro Hybrid' makes its appearance in the Genio. That's all we have now. Stay with us for more!