2020 Mahindra KUV100 BS6 CNG is expected to make the same output as its BS4 counterpart
The Mahindra KUV100 made its debut back in 2016. While the initial response to the micro-SUV was good, sales started to fall flat within a few months. Later, Mahindra tried to infuse some new life in the product by bringing in a facelift, which too didn’t click well.
At the moment, the Mahindra KUV100 is offered with four powertrain options. This includes petrol, CNG, diesel and electric as well. The electric version, known as the eKUV100 or KUV100 electric was recently launched at Auto Expo 2020.
Now, automotive enthusiast Athavan has spotted a test mule of a BS6-compliant Mahindra KUV100 with a ‘CNG’ sticker. The test mule seems to be based on a lower-end variant of the regular KUV100. It featured steel rims and non-body coloured door handles.
Mahindra is expected to continue with the same mFalcon 1.2 litre petrol motor on the BS6-compliant KUV100 CNG variant. The engine currently dishes out 82bhp and 115Nm of peak torque. It comes mated to a 5-speed MT which sends power to the front wheels. The ARAI-claimed fuel efficiency of the current combination is 18.15 km/kg. We don’t expect a major change in any of these figures post the BS6 update.
With the KUV100, Mahindra had tried to start a new segment of micro-SUVs in the country. However, the plan didn’t work out exactly in Mahindra’s favour. While there are more offerings in the segment, like the S-Presso and Ignis, the overall segment hasn’t churned out numbers as per initial estimates. Still, there are other OEMs which are planning to launch their offerings in the segment. These include the HBX from Tata Motors and a new product from Datsun.
Talking about Mahindra, the Mumbai-based OEM has been losing market share consistently. Its sales dropped to around 11K units in Feb ’20. It also slipped from being the third-largest OEM to being the fifth in the list, behind Kia and Tata Motors. The new generation products from Mahindra were expected to bring in the much-required push to revive sales.
However, the delay in their launch might mean more troubled times for Mahindra. The OEM was earlier scheduled to launch the next-generation variants of the Scorpio, Thar and XUV500 this year. Due to certain internal developments, only the next-gen Thar will be brought to the market this year. The next-gen Scorpio and XUV500 will be brought in only in 2021. In the interim, the OEM is updating its existing line-up to make it BS6-compliant.
