One way to fight the slump in local markets is to explore global opportunities, which is exactly what Mahindra appears to be doing. Some time back Mahindra MD Pawan Goenka had talked about XUV300’s global potential, which has now come true with the debut of XUV300 in South Africa.
Mahindra has now showcased the XUV300 to their dealers in South Africa. Launch is scheduled in the coming days. After this, Mahindra will be eyeing other major markets such as Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Nepal. Based on SsangYong Tivoli’s X100 platform, XUV300 is a truly global product that comes with a host of advanced features.
Mahindra is launching XUV300 in South Africa first, as it already has an extensive network of 60 dealerships in the country. This would make it easier for XUV300 to hit the ground running in South Africa. SsangYong Tivoli is not sold in South Africa, which is another reason why Mahindra is taking its bets on XUV300’s launch in this country. In South Africa, XUV300 will take on rivals such as Ford EcoSport, Mazda CX-3, Renault Duster, Renault Captur, Suzuki Vitara, Opel Mokka X, and Mitsubishi ASX.
New Mahindra XUV300 has stylish exteriors, featuring LED DRLs, floating roof design, diamond-cut alloys and edgy LED tail lamps. Interiors have a premium look and feel and are designed to be spacious and comfortable. The car comes with several hi-tech features such as GPS navigation, futuristic instrument cluster, and a 17.8 cm touchscreen infotainment system supporting Android Auto™ and Apple CarPlay. XUV300 also offers best-in-class safety features such as 7-airbags, front parking sensors, four disc brakes, and hill start assist.
Performance is another area where XUV300 is ahead of its rivals. It gets its power from a 1.5L turbo diesel engine and 1.2L turbo petrol engine, both of which generate best-in-segment torque. The diesel unit makes 115 bhp power and 300 Nm torque, whereas petrol unit delivers 110 bhp power and 200 Nm torque. Both engines are mated to 6-speed manual transmission. Automatic transmission is in the works and is expected to be launched soon. An electric variant of XUV300 (S210) is also being developed and it will be launched in India in 2020.
In South Africa, bookings and test drives are now open for XUV300. To attract customers, Mahindra is offering free fuel vouchers and a chance to win a trip to India worth R100,000.
