mahindra

Spied – Ssangyong Rexton facelift testing in China; Is this the version for India?

by Paul Joseph February 2, 2012 Featured

Mahindra exhibited the Rexton at the Delhi Auto Expo and we weren’t the only ones who felt the need for a redesign. The Rexton joining hands with the Korando will sit above the XUV500. Mahindra has announced that the Rexton’s launch will be conducted by November 2012. Examining its ecosystem, the competition is very stiff and unforgiving. As many of the Rexton’s rivals are either CBU or CKD models, they the latest in terms of design, technology and features. Mahindra testing the Rexton with no camouflage in India is not news. Ssangyong testing the facelift of the Rexton since late last year in Korea is again not hot news for Indian Autos Blog reader. Today, thanks to our Chinese friends at CarNewsChina.com and auto.sohu.com, we present photographs of the same car testing in the land of dragons. CarNewsChina reports that the first market the Rexton facelift will be shipped to is India.  Soon after its South Korean entry in 2011, knock-down kits will be shipped to one of Mahindra’s production lines in Maharashtra. Mahindra has remained tight-lipped about the Rexton’s  configuration. It goes without saying that a diesel engine is a must. The seven-seater will clash with segment titan Toyota Fortuner which as early as last month was given a cosmetic makeover along with 4×2 and AT variants. Can Mahindra manage to sell a good number of vehicles in price bands that they’ve never been to? Will India buy a 20 lakh rupees Ssangyong, a brand many haven’t heard of before? [Source - auto.sohu.com via CarNewsChina.com ]

Tagged as: chevrolet sail, china, ford ecosport, india, korando, mahindra, ssangyong rexton

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Spied – Mahindra Xylo facelift front-end fully revealed – We like what we see!

by Paul Joseph February 1, 2012 Featured

After showing you spyshots of the refreshed Xylo testing near Pune and presenting Shoeb’s speculative rendering, today we bring you images of the Xylo facelift completely uncamouflaged, thanks to user Dieseling from Team-BHP.com. The front-end has gone through a sea of change and feels like some of the XUV500′s design language has rubbed off on the Xylo’s design team. The transformation starts at the hood – redesigned using creases relocating to the sides. The bulge along the bonnet’s center has been flattened out. Subtle lines flow towards the center from either corners of the windshield. The Xylo’s shiny grille takes a more traditional approach sitting on the same level as the headlamps. It replaces the body-colored grille design that forms the shape of an arch. A slim louvre separates the grille and bumper. They’ve put on what we’ll call protectors under the bumper. The headlamps are not a complete redo. Tiny indicators are placed on the bottom right corner. Mahindra will use the facelift’s launch to add a new variant “E9″ to the lineup. This cosmetic operation has flushed out the funny taste you may get at the back of your mouth when you see a Xylo head-on. There is no doubt that the Xylo facelift outshines the current model on design appeal. What are your thoughts? [Source - Team-BHP.com ]

Tagged as: mahindra, mahindra-xylo, photos, renault duster

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Peugeot’s India plan hits a roadblock; Company may reschedule India foray!

by Paul Joseph January 31, 2012 Featured

Back in February 2011, when Peugeot officially announced that it will enter the Indian market, the whole of India’s automotive community rejoiced. Then we saw the cars testing on the Indian roads and gave them a thumbs up. The French manufacturer finally zeroed in on a site in Gujarat for their plant before the Auto Expo. Peugeot made its presence felt at the Indian Auto expo with hybrid cars, MPVs and race cars. They were all set to enter the market with a bang! However, the company’s India expansion plans have seem to hit a roadblock. News comes in through TheEconomicTimes that the company is shutting down its Mumbai office and re-evaluating its India plans. Jonathan Goodman, director relations presse, PSA Peugeot Citroen – The group is currently evaluating the scheduling of the project, which may lead to some adjustments to the schedule as it currently stands. The reason for this ‘re-evaluation’ seems to be the declining sales in the European region where PSA stands as the second largest manufacturer. The car maker is re-evaluating the strategies for “frugal spending” on the India project to get maximum bang for buck. Further adding to that, the car maker is once again searching for partners who could help them with their India strategy. [Source: Economictimes.indiatimes.com ]

Tagged as: indian, mahindra, peugeot india, peugeot india plans, photos, renault duster

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Nissan’s Evalia MPV bows in during August

by Paul Joseph January 31, 2012 Featured

Showcased at the Delhi Auto Expo in early January, Nissan has moved to the final stage of the Evalia’s development – sending it to a production line. Nissan will begin the roll out of the Innova basher at the Oragadam plant in Chennai in August. The market introduction shall take place around this period. Nissan has not talked of a petrol engine, but they will be keeping in mind that a policy change in the government can reverse the market direction overnight. See high resolution images of the Nissan Evalia Sold as the NV200 in other markets, the Evalia makes Nissan in India a multi-segment player. The Micra and Sunny were well received mainly for their frugal, yet spirited diesel engine, and Nissan will be banking on the same engine to close in on the Innova. Ashok Leyland’s version of the Evalia, dubbed Stile, is also in the pipelines. Its introduction is scheduled in mid-2013. The Ashok Leyland Stile runs on the same mechanical components with the difference lying in its less-equipped interiors. To have daylight between the two models, the Ashok Leyland wears a different face and sports body graphics. Nissan states that features such as intelligent key and rear view camera will be incorporated on the Evalia. Power of the K9K diesel engine will be upped to about 90-100bhp.

Tagged as: chevrolet sail, images, mahindra, nissan, romania, videos

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Have you seen this unreleased TV ad of the Mahindra XUV500?

by Paul Joseph January 30, 2012 Featured

We’ve been treated to interesting advertising concepts from Mahindra over the last few years. In 2010 they took a dig at the Tata Ace and used an AutoBot character to market the Maxximo as an advanced and sophisticated goods carrier. The background music, visuals of the Scorpio bashing the sand dunes and the stylish characters in the Scorpio’s “nothing else will do” ad broadcasted a high-energy and ambitious product. Another recent example we liked was of the new Mahindra Bolero with a trained dog in the lead role. It was a good attempt to mix humor and tell viewers the kind of person they’d want to see buy their product. This new XUV500′s TV spot rides on a vague and flimsy plot. Some part of the XUV500, like the Cheetah it is inspired by, definitely belongs to the wild, but visuals of a driver escape from being cooked alive in a carrot stew using a XUV500 begs the question – What’s this all about?

Tagged as: commercials, mahindra, mahindra xuv500

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Spied – Mahindra Xylo double cab pickup export edition

by Paul Joseph January 20, 2012 Featured

Mahindra continues to diversify using its existing portfolio. First there was Scorpio and then came the Scorpio Getaway. The Bolero also went through the operation to make the Bolero pick up. There are two versions of the Xylo pickup, one for the domestic market and another for the export markets. Our pals at Motorbeam spied a double cab pickup version of the Mahindra Xylo testing on the Mumbai-Pune expressway. It has a much better road presence thanks to a more uniform construction, chrome inserts, load bay accentuated with a stroke over the wheel arch and what we’d call designer tail lamps considering this vehicle is used to haul cement bags and water cans. The domestic Genios have a flat load bay and a sober rear profile. They prefer function over form and to cut costs, it misses out on panache. There is no point in introducing it as a lifestyle product in India because the Scorpio Getaway already has that part of the market covered. As a commercial carrier the Genio and the Bolero are doing exceptionally well for Mahindra. The double cab variant is being tested for the export markets. There is a huge demand for such vehicles in Asian and African markets. If powered by the same 2.2-liter mHawk motor from the Scorpio, the Xylo double cab variant will produce 120 bhp of power and 290 Nm of torque. [Source - MotorBeam.com ]

Tagged as: commercial-vehicles, mahindra, mahindra genio pickup

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Spied – Mahindra Xylo double cab pickup export edition

by Paul Joseph January 20, 2012 Featured

Mahindra continues to diversify using its existing portfolio. First there was Scorpio and then came the Scorpio Getaway. The Bolero also went through the operation to make the Bolero pick up. There are two versions of the Xylo pickup, one for the domestic market and another for the export markets. Our pals at Motorbeam spied a double cab pickup version of the Mahindra Xylo testing on the Mumbai-Pune expressway. It has a much better road presence thanks to a more uniform construction, chrome inserts, load bay accentuated with a stroke over the wheel arch and what we’d call designer tail lamps considering this vehicle is used to haul cement bags and water cans. The domestic Genios have a flat load bay and a sober rear profile. They prefer function over form and to cut costs, it misses out on panache. There is no point in introducing it as a lifestyle product in India because the Scorpio Getaway already has that part of the market covered. As a commercial carrier the Genio and the Bolero are doing exceptionally well for Mahindra. The double cab variant is being tested for the export markets. There is a huge demand for such vehicles in Asian and African markets. If powered by the same 2.2-liter mHawk motor from the Scorpio, the Xylo double cab variant will produce 120 bhp of power and 290 Nm of torque. [Source - MotorBeam.com ]

Tagged as: commercial-vehicles, mahindra, mahindra genio pickup

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New Mahindra XUV 500 Launched in India – A Style of Its Own

by Paul Joseph January 19, 2012 Featured

Mahindra and Mahindra , India’s leading auto manufacturer has launched a new wave soft-roader, the Mahindra XUV 500. The Mahindra XUV 500 SUV epitomizes style and substance and takes the Mahindra Brand to new heights. The brand new SUV is available in three variants namely W6 2wheel drive, W8 2 wheel drive and W8 AWD available in BSIV versions. The new and refined mHawk 140, Direct injection diesel engine is powerful and generates 138 bhp of power and 330 NM of torque. The 6-speed transmission delivers the ultimate blend of performance and fuel economy. Mahindra XUV 500 offers unmatched performance, style, technology, safety and features. The aerodynamic body static-bending projector headlamps, and LED parking lamps and racing-inspired twin exhaust are the other features. It is the best when it comes to owning a completely homegrown automaker as 90% of the vehicle is tooled out of India. This is the first time ever that Mahindra’s have tried the monocoque body construction and it is bound to be well received. The XUV has been tested for nearly 24 lakh kilometers and the auto giant went through 250 prototypes before finally launching it. The most interesting part for investors is that the amortisation cycle would be shorter if the vehicle is a hit. Mahindra XUV is the first major launch after Mahindra Xylo and how it fares in the Indian market, only time will tell.

Tagged as: apache, audi, design, ford, gifts, mahindra, shopping

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Renault Duster SUV : Price Details 2012

by Paul Joseph January 14, 2012 Featured

Renault is all set to launch its low cost SUV, renault Duster in india in 2012. Renault has show-cased Duster in auto-expo 2012. The expected price of Renault Duster is 7 lakh to 10 lakh, rupees. DOHC 16 valves, 4 valves per cylinder 1.6 L diesel engine. Maximum engine power of 105 bhp @ 5750 rpm. Maximum torque of 148 Nm @ 3750 rpm. Renault duster will be first introduced in diesel variant.

Tagged as: details, ipad, mahindra, maruti, maruti-suzuki, price, price-details

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Mahindra to increase the production of XUV500 for exports

by Paul Joseph January 11, 2012 Featured

Mahindra’s first global SUV received a phenomenal response from the Indian audience. As a result of this phenomenal, the company faces an acute shortage of capacity. The problem becomes more pressing as Mahindra plans to launch the SUV in several international markets very soon. M&M has already launched the XUV500 in South Africa but the company is keen on expanding in Europe and Australia. Pravin Shah, chief executive of international operations – We plan to launch the XUV500 in Australia by the end of the current financial year. Over the next three months, the vehicle would make its debut in markets across Europe, South and Central America. To fuel those ambitions, M&M has started to ramp up capacity at their Chakan plant in Pune. Currently, the plant churns 110 units every day and this would be increased to 160 units by April. The added production would be sufficient to meet demand in both domestic and overseas markets for the time being. [Source: BSMotoring.com ]

Tagged as: mahindra, mahindra xuv500, mahindra xuv500 exports

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