Mahindra Developing Two New Small Cars


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M&M developing two small cars to challenge Maruti Suzuki

In the last two years, we have seen Mahindra & Mahindra grow leaps and bounds in the Indian auto market. First we saw the XUV500 smashing all previous sales records in India. The Bolero grew from strength to strength maintaining its lead as India’s best selling SUV. Sales of Verito grew, prompting Mahindra to give it a new lease of life through a facelift.
And then came the Quanto which is bound to succeed given the amazing value for money proposition that it is.

But now the Indian SUV czar has set its eyes on the kingpin of the Indian small car market by reducing the size of its vehicles. Mahindra is developing two small cars to challenge the likes of Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai. Codenamed C-101 and S-101, both these small cars are scheduled for commercial launch in 18 to 24 months.

The C-101 and S-101 will be built on the same monocoque FWD platform to ensure there is cost efficiencies and quick return on investment. Mahindra is also developing small petrol and diesel engines to power these compact cars. The petrol engine is being jointly developed with Ssangyong and is likely to be a 1-1.2L engine. A 1.1L diesel engine is derived from Mahindra’s 2,200-cc mHawk engine will do the diesel duties in this small car.

Mahindra has set global benchmarks such as the Volkswagen Polo and Ford Figo to develop its new small cars. One of the Kia Picantos testing in Chennai actually belongs to Mahindra and is being tested as a benchmark for the small cars.

Production of these new small cars will start in a brand new $1-billion integrated plant. The automaker is in search for land for constructing this facility.

Apart from new products, Mahindra is also developing new variants for the Quanto to tap a wider market. These would include a semi-automatic version and a four-wheel drive version with the more powerful mHawk engine. The new variants would satisfy both local and export demand.


Read more: M&M developing two small cars to challenge Maruti Suzuki
 
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Mahindra to develop small car based on Verito Vibe platform

Mahindra will continue to develop the Verito Vibe platform in the effort to make a new small car for the Indian market. In this regard, Mahindra is already working with Ssangyong Motor Company to develop a small engine which we assume could be under the 1-litre displacement mark to avail the duty benefits.


2013 Mahindra Verito Vibe at launch

Speaking to Ronojoy Banerjee of CNBC TV18, Dr Pawan Goenka, President Automotive and Farm Sector, Mahindra, stated that the company was looking at further developing passenger cars under the 4-meter size bracket.

Mahindra started off its passenger car business with a single product deal with Renault who also provided them with critical development knowledge. The Mahindra Renault Logan, however, failed to make the impact Mahindra or Renault would have liked to see. Nonetheless it set Mahindra on the path to expand its interest in the passenger car segment adding to its diverse, large and predominant SUV portfolio.

Mahindra, just around a year ago, then rebadged the Logan as the Verito; spicing it up with some cosmetic changes and features to distance it from the Mahindra Renault alliance and give it a slightly new identity.

Just a couple of months ago, Mahindra then came out with the Verito Vibe, which was a chopped up version of the Verito for the hatchback segment. Read the full first drive report of the Verito Vibe here.

Now to expand the portfolio further Mahindra is working on a new small car that will not just be all new in terms of design and packaging, but also offer a new smaller and more economical (both in terms of price and fuel) engine. This will provide Mahindra a much bigger consumer base in a market that is expected to grow significantly larger than where it is over the next few years.

Dr Goenka further added that Mahindra were nearly ready with electric versions of the Geo and Maximo, both successful commercial vehicles for Mahindra. The electric know-how comes from Mahindra’s association with Reva, who also recently launched an electric hatchback — the e2o.

Mahindra Working on a New Small Hatchback Car for India | MotorBash.com
 

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