Mahindra and Mahindra, reputed utility vehicle makers in India, are all set to launch a new MPV very soon, before Diwali 2018. This was confirmed today by Mahindra officials, where they unveiled the name of their MPV – Marazzo. Codenamed U321 till now, 2018 Mahindra Marazzo will primarily rival Toyota Innova Crysta.
New Mahindra Marazzo is built on a completely new platform, which is being seen for the first time. Mahindra was clear to add that this new platform is all new, never used in any car before, neither Mahindra nor SsangYong. Speaking of the name, Mahindra says, in some version of the Spanish language, the word Marazzo does mean Shark.
Mahindra says that you will be able to notice a lot of Shark inspired themes in the car. For example, in the front, the grille is inspired by shark teeth. At the rear, is a taillamp which is inspired by shark tail. On the top is a shark fin antenna, inspired by shark fin. The shark inspired theme also continues on the inside. On the roof, you will see first of its kind surround-roof-ac, as shown in the image below.
Speaking at the name reveal, Dr. Pawan Goenka, Managing Director, M&M Ltd. said, “The shark-inspired Marazzo symbolizes the next generation of aspirational Mahindra vehicles. A collaborative effort of Pininfarina (Italy), Mahindra Design Studio (Pune), MNATC (USA) and Mahindra Research Valley (Chennai), Marazzo is born of a vision to design a global vehicle with quality and refinement keeping in mind the aspirations of our customers.”
Rajan Wadhera, President Automotive Sector, M&M Ltd. said, “The intense process of development and refinement of the Marazzo is comparable to any global vehicle and incorporates a number of innovations. This has delivered better space, smoother ride with a quieter cabin, best-in-class cooling, excellent safety and a tough body construction in the Marazzo. Infact the Marazzo has the largest footprint (wheelbase x front track) of any Mahindra vehicle. I am confident that it will set a new benchmark and become a game-changer in its segment.”
Highlights of Mahindra Marazzo include best in class ride quality, world class built quality. Target customer for Mahindra Marazzo is a businessman, or a family man. The MPV is built at an investment of Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500 crores. It will come in with an all new engine, details of which are still under wraps. At the time of launch, both 7 and 8 seater variants will be offered.
Another thing Mahindra made clear was that the Marazzo will not replace any of their existing product from the line-up. It will make its own space in the company line-up. This clears air over reports which claimed that the Marazzo will replace Xylo.
Already spied on test, the new Marazzo gets a rear windshield wiper, headlamps with projector units and black bezels, LED DRLs and fog lamps. Mahindra has said this is their largest car in terms of space. A long wheelbase results in spacious interiors with features to include a dual tone color scheme, chrome accents on air vents and door handles and a cooled glove box. The infotainment system comes with touchscreen navigation and control buttons for audio and cruise control.
New Mahindra U321 will most likely be powered by a 2.2 liter diesel engine offering 140 PS power and 320 Nm torque mated to a 6 speed manual and 6 speed automatic transmission. Petrol engine option is not expected to be on offer. Where pricing is concerned, one can expect the new MPV to be priced in between the range of Maruti Ertiga and Toyota Innova Crysta – in a price bracket of Rs 10-15 lakhs. More details will be revealed at launch. Till then, have a look at the images below.