Mahindra TUV300 (double ‘O’) is the name of the company’s brand new sub-4 metre ladder frame SUV which is hitherto known by its codename U301. Nicknamed by media as mini Bolero, the new product will be launched in mid-September. It will sit alongside Quanto as a more rugged alternative.
Mahindra TUV300 was designed at the company’s Kandivli design office in Mumbai with inputs from Pininfarina.
The T in the name denotes Tough while UV stands for Utility Vehicle. The 300 is the series.
Based on an all-new platform (likely to be a shorter derivative of hydroformed chassis which debuted in current Scorpio), TUV300 is one of many cars that are announced to be launched in this fiscal.
Sketches also attempt to demonstrate the SUV’s ability to adopt accessories.
The company has also teased the SUV in the form of a few design sketches. The design which portray’s Mahindra’s tough DNA is characterized by a raked A-pillar, a flat roof, a modern front fascia and boxy elements. The sketches also suggest that it is flexible for personalization.
The car will be launched in mid-September 2015.
The company has also revealed that the engine will be called as mHawk80. No further technical details have been revealed but the 80 in the engine nomenclature could be the power output in bhp. We suspect it to be a 1.5-litre unit complying with sub-4m norms.
The engine is claimed to be developed exclusively for TUV300 and is a derivative of mHawk.
Talking at the event, Dr. Pawan Goenka has confirmed that TUV300 is not a Bolero replacement and will continue alongside it. He also added that design of the UV was done with inputs from Pininfarina at Mahindra’s Kandivli design studio. Engineering was taken care by Mahindra Research Valley in Chennai.
The UV will be sold in several international markets at a later stage.
The company has also announced that it will launch one more brand new product and 5 refreshes this fiscal. TUV500 will be exported to several international market and the company is working on LHD version and different variants for global market. Exports are likely to commence in a year from now. The platform will see a 4×4 version but not at the time of launch.
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