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Mahindra XUV 500 Review6th-Oct-2011: The undisputed king of the SUVs in India, Mahindra launched its long awaited world SUV, XUV 500 in
India on September 29th. XUV 500 price has been grabbing eyeballs ever since Mahindra lifted the wraps off this
stunner. Mahindra XUV 500 price has been tagged competitively at Rs 10.80 lakhs (ex showroom Delhi), though the
company may follow the same strategy as it adopted for its popular car Scorpio and hike the XUV 500 price after a
while. The new SUV by Mahindra is launched in manual transmission, looking at the influx of bookings for XUV 500 the
company is contemplating to launch a new variant of the SUV donning automatic gearbox. One more reason why
Mahindra envisages to roll XUV 500 in automatic gearbox is the possibility to export the new SUV to overseas markets
where automatic transmission is a must. Mahindra is mulling over to ship XUV 500 to foreign markets like Europe,South
America and Australia.
Mahindra XUV 500 Overallback to top
Indian carmaker Mahindra seems to have decided to put the country on global scenario with its global design based
new SUV - Mahindra XUV 500. With this car in, Mahindra’s SUV offering touches the famous five figure.
The US $12.5 billion Mahindra Group has a fleet of SUVs in India and it has given some of the sturdiest and
performance driven cars in India. Prominent among it was iconic Mahindra Jeep that had ruled Indian rural roads for
decades. Later, Mahindra SUVs became more comfortable and powerful as well.
The recent addition, Mahindra XUV 500 is an all-new avatar by Mahindra and it takes global design signaling across
the globe presence expectation.
The XUV 500 by Mahindra is a global standard SUV that is going to embark the company on a world-wide platform.
Originally codenamed Mahindra W201, the XUV 500 received its name recently before its launch on September 29.
Pronounced as Mahindra XUV 500 with the last to ‘00’ pronounced as alphabet ‘OO’, it symbolizes activeness and the
agility besides the quickness it has as an SUV. Mahindra has arrived at the design of this SUV after an intensive
research and survey that is said to have been conducted in various western markets besides India. Apart from this, the
SUV also has been tested to be perfect on many destinations including Europe, Australia and South Africa. After launch
in India, the Mahindra XUV 500 will be marketed in South Africa.
Besides the design, Mahindra XUV 500 features a unique exterior styling, an array of technologies that is nowhere
visible in the SUVs already in place by Mahindra. In addition, the global design brings with it the global standards as
well in this SUV. Mahindra’s Research Valley engineers have burnt their midnight oil to make this happen and it is with
the help of their efforts that XUV 500 is able to be developed on global standards.
The aerodynamic monocoque design based SUV Mahindra XUV 500 is entirely different from the traditionally designed
cars. Contrary to the conventional design in which the car is made of a frame and then it is covered with lightweight
metal sheets, the XUV 500 body is a single piece body in which the body and chassis are one piece. The monocoque
design of the XUV 500 is also known as single shell design.
It also has the first-ever transversely placed engine that has increased the passenger space inside and has also
improved safety in case of an impact besides a larger crumple zone. Thus Mahindra XUV is much safer and crash
resistant than any of the other Mahindra SUV offering. Land Rover LR2 Freelander and Volvo cars employ transversely
placed engine in their cars. Such first in the class features make this SUV at par with global standards. Incorporating
such features has made XUV 500 to compete with global SUVs in terms of global norms, safety regulations and
emission standards. In India, XUV 500 will create its own unique space and is place above Mahindra Scorpio and the
big SUV daddies in India.
Mahindra XUV 500 has 2179cc mHawk engine of Mahindra Scorpio inside that helps this SUV challenge any terrain
globally. The Common Rail Diesel engine produces 140bhp which is enough to cruise the XUV 500 on road or off-road.
Most noteworthy is the torque which is 330Nm that lets the new SUV to move around easily even in snail-paced city
traffic. There is a six-speed manual gearbox in XUV 500 with a torque on demand mechanism. There are two variants
as far as transmission is concerned – XUV 500 two-wheel drive model and XUV 500 four-wheel drive model. Micro-
hybrid technology for better fuel efficiency is also in place in this new SUV.
M&M eyes to set up facility in Southeast Asia
By CarDekho Team 12 Dec, 2011 at 12:29:33 PM
India’s largest utility vehicle manufacturer is now looking to set up a manufacturing unit in South East Asia. The
countries like Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand are the targets to meet their plans to become a global leader in
automobile industry in near future. They see the plans becoming a reality in another two years. Pravin Shah, a chief
executive of International Operations department had asserted that one plant in the South East Asian countries will be
able to meet the demands across the region. More than ever, it is easier to set up a new manufacturing plant especially
in the Asian countries with the Asian Free Trade Agreement policy handy.
See More Mahindra XUV 500 Pictures Read More on Mahindra XUV 500
The Asian Free Trade Agreement allows the member nations involved in the agreement to set up a local manufacturing
unit and enables reduced tariff rates of the products such produced to the range of 0-5%. There are at present 10
countries in the agreement referred to as ASEAN (Association for South East Asian Nations). This kind of agreement
helps Mahindra and Mahindra to set up a manufacturing base in one of the ASEAN countries and benefit from low tariff
rates reserved for these nations. Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia are the three countries which are the members in
the agreement where it can maintain the competitiveness despite being a foreign country to set up the manufacturing
unit.
See More Mahindra Ssangyong Korando Pictures Read More on Mahindra Ssangyong Korando
This basically helps the manufacturer in placing the price of its models thus produced without being way off from the
locally produced rivals in the market. At the moment, the auto major has only Malaysia among the South East Asian
countries where the automobiles are exported from M&M. Now, M&M hopes to increase the volume of exports to 15-
20% among the other Asian markets from the proposed plant in one of the South East Asian countries. To refresh once
again, the M&M has a manufacturing unit each in Brazil and Egypt nations so far. Mahindra XUV500 for one, apart from
the upcoming SsnagYong SUVs like Korando and Rexton and other commercial vehicles are expected to be a part of
the exports from these regions.
Mahindra to re-open XUV 500 bookings in January 2012
By CarDekho Team 03 Dec, 2011 at 10:38:58 AM
Mahindra XUV 500 bookings will re-open from January 2012, the announcement came yesterday from the home grown
auto major Mahindra and Mahindra. The XUV 500 had received over 8000 bookings in just 10 days, making it one of the
most overwhelming responses to a new car launch in recent times. Mahindra had sold out 4 months production of the
XUV 500 and had hence temporarily deferred new bookings since October 11th across the 5 centres of Mumbai, Pune,
Delhi, Bengaluru and Chennai.
See More Mahindra XUV 500 Pictures Read More on Mahindra XUV 500
Mahindra expects to complete deliveries of these bookings by January 2012. The production for the XUV 500 is as per
schedule and the company is also in the process of ramping up production at its plant in Chakan which will enable it to
re-open bookings next month. The XUV 500 has been buoyed by the excellent response from customers who have got
deliveries till date. In addition, there has been an overwhelming demand from potential customers to re-open
bookings. The buzz associated with the launch of SUV on social media has been phenomenal with 1.5 lakh viewers
watching the live launch webcast and press conference.
See More Mahindra XUV 500 Pictures Read More on Mahindra XUV 500
Mahindra XUV 500 website has received more than 12.2 lakh unique visitors till date. On Facebook, the fan base for
this vehicle has risen to over 1.5 lakhs. The ‘Guess the Price’ contest, initiated just 10 days prior to launch, received a
whopping 1.15 lakh entries, making the contest a huge success. As a part of the launch marketing campaign, the XUV
500 cheetah announcer TVC went on air on 5th October which was a continuation of the teaser advertisement.
However, Mahindra has decided to defer the launch press advertisement campaign in view of the euphoric consumer
reaction.
New SUV from Sonalika, a threat to XUV 500?
By CarDekho Team 29 Nov, 2011 at 1:32:51 PM
2012 Auto Expo is just around the corner and thus begins the talk of the new entrants into the market. ICMLSonalika of
the Rhino SUV fame is in the process of delivering a weapon to compete against the Mahindra XUV 500 and the
upcoming Tata Safari Merlin in the market. Since the bird in hand is worth than two in the bush. Its better they worry
about the XUV 500 which poses more of a threat with its exemplary sales figures. Will the ICML XUV500 killer have the
potential to take a plunge in the market from a brand with a mediocre success in hand? This is the question probably
haunting the auto major at the moment.
See More Mahindra XUV 500 Pictures Read More on Mahindra XUV 500
ICML Sonalika is pretty much playing the cards closer to its chest without letting much details on either the name or any
other details of the XUV500 killer. Totally an unknown brand in the passenger vehicle segment, the commercial vehicle
manufacturer is now expected to introduce a sedan as well at the upcoming Auto Expo. Concentrating presently more
on XUV500 at hand, the domestic car manufacturer must be mulling on the right marketing strategies to boost the sales.
Question is, why is it that few cars sell like hotcakes and others remain to be dud sellers despite the lucrative discounts
to clear out the stock. It’s the brand value that speaks or the media hype or truly the car has something that others
don’t. Mahindra XUV 500 has surpassed the expectations of many, while Skoda Yeti with similar brand value or
probably more can never be tagged as a volume puller.
See More Mahindra XUV 500 Pictures Read More on Mahindra XUV 500
Whether it’s a boon or curse, Mahindra XUV 500 has garnered sales as many as 8000 bookings in the first 10 days of
its launch. While many would rejoice over the exuberant sales, the bookings for the car were called off by the auto
major. The XUV500 was sold out clearing out the stock meant for four months. Though paused for the moment, the
bookings will start with renewed vigour. To remind those who have forgotten, the Mahindra XUV 500 was launched at a
special introductory price of Rs 10.69 lakhs urging the consumers to make hay while there is still sunshine. A similar
pricing or probably less can set the ball rolling for new Sonalika Killer.
Mahindra's First Global SUV Christened XUV500
Left to Right: Dr. Pawan Goenka, President, Automotive & Farm Equipment Sectors, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.
& Mr. Rajesh Jejurikar, Chief Executive, Automotive Division, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. at a press meet to
announce the name of its new, next generation SUV targeted at Generation X – the XUV500. Location: Media
Cube, Mahindra Towers Worli, Mumbai, India
Mumbai, September 2, 2011: Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. (M&M), a part of the US $12.5 billion Mahindra Group, today
christened its much awaited SUV, project code named W201, as the XUV500 (pronounced as XUV ‘5 double Oh’).
Designed and developed entirely in-house by Mahindra, the XUV500 is Mahindra’s first global SUV platform, with
significant inputs in styling and development from customers across the globe. In fact, consumer research for the
Mahindra XUV500 was carried out in various Western markets, South Africa and India, with testing and validation of the
product being done across Europe, Australia and South Africa among others.
Conceptualized with the aim of creating an altogether new category between the Scorpio and high end SUVs,
theXUV500 is the next generation SUV targeted at Generation X, where the double O connotes the added Oomph value
in the product. The XUV500 is contemporary, truly stylized with sophisticated technologies and incorporates the best-in
class global manufacturing quality. The XUV500 is thus the first in a series of next-generation SUVs that will set the
stage for the emergence of M&M as a force to be reckoned with in the global automotive arena.
Designed entirely in-house at M&M’s world class research and development facility the Mahindra Research Valley at
Chennai, the XUV500 is also the country’s first indigenously developed monocoque SUV with the first transverse engine
offering from Mahindra. What makes the XUV500 truly unique and global is simply the manner in which it was conceived
and designed. In fact, all research & development activities for this global SUV were aligned with global standards of
quality, technology, testing norms, regulations & emissions from the very start.
The XUV500, thus, is the very epitome of the Mahindra RISE philosophy as its development challenged the limits and
conventional thinking, and involved the innovative use of resources. The vehicle will be manufactured at M&M’s future-
ready manufacturing facility at Chakan in Maharashtra, where again innovative engineering, state-of-the-art
technologies and manufacturing excellence are simply par for the course.
Dr. Pawan Goenka, President, Automotive & Farm Equipment Sectors, M&M Ltd. said “We are all set to create a
new milestone with the launch of the Mahindra XUV500 which truly embodies and encapsulates the essence of the
Mahindra Rise philosophy. Having extensively tested and validated our product with global and Indian customers alike, I
am happy to add that we will simultaneously launch the XUV500 in South Africa under the same brand name. I am
confident that the XUV500 will follow in the footsteps of its illustrious predecessors to evolve into an iconic brand.”
Mr. Rajesh Jejurikar, Chief Executive, Automotive Division, M&M Ltd. said, “The Mahindra brand has evolved
over time. Today it enjoys the strongest equity in the SUV category. Therefore, Mahindra will now be the lead brand for
the XUV500. Additionally, with the XUV500 we are attempting to create a new category in the SUV segment, that will not
only challenge the conventional but will also certainly translate into double customer delight.”
Mahindra has today evolved as the undisputed market leader in the SUV segment with a market share of 60.5%, largely
based on the domestic and international successes of its iconic brands like the Bolero, the Scorpio and the Xylo. In fact,
the Bolero launched in 2000 continues to evolve and remain India’s No. 1 selling SUV for the last 5 consecutive years.
In a similar vein, the Xylo too has created a distinct niche for itself in the sedan – plus category. The Scorpio, of course,
redefined the SUV segment in India and has gone on to become an iconic brand with a cult following among Indian
consumers. Little wonder than that, M&M is today, ranked as an Olympic brand by Milward Brown because of the
excellent bonding it enjoys with Indian SUV owners.
About The Mahindra Group
The Mahindra Group focuses on enabling people to rise. Mahindra operates in the key industries that drive economic
growth, enjoying a leadership position in tractors, utility vehicles, information technology and vacation ownership.
Mahindra has a presence in the automotive industry, agribusiness, aerospace, components, consulting services,
defence, energy, financial services, industrial equipment, logistics, real estate, retail, steel and two wheelers.
A US $12.5 billion multinational group based in Mumbai, India, Mahindra employs more than 1,37,000 people in over
100 countries.
In 2011, Mahindra featured on the Forbes Global 2000 list, a listing of the biggest and most powerful listed companies in
the world. Dun & Bradstreet also ranked Mahindra at No. 1 in the automobile sector in its list of India’s Top 500
Companies. In 2010, Mahindra featured in the Credit Suisse Great Brands of Tomorrow.
Its flagship company Mahindra & Mahindra Limited is the only Indian automobile manufacturer to feature in the top 10
list of the Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index in India - 2010, created by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP).
In 2011, Mahindra acquired a majority stake in Korea’s SsangYong Motor Company.
For further information, please visit www.mahindra.comConnect with us on www.facebook.com/mahindragroupMs. Roma Balwani
Senior Vice President & Group Head, Corporate Communications
Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.
Phone: (+91-22) 2490 1441
Fax: (+91-22) 2490 0830
